New Moon Rising
by Miles333
Summary: *Sequel* Bella's life has been a nightmare since the takeover, thanks to the many vampires stalking her. When Jacob Black and his problems come to her notice, she's glad for a chance to take her mind off things. Until everything changes... AU *ON HIATUS*
1. Preface

**Disclaimer:** _New Moon_ doesn't belong to me, much less any of the other books in the Twilight Saga. :D

**A/N: **Oooh, a sequel. I really love writing sequels, and I hope all of you will enjoy the way this story is going to turn out! :D And just so you know, this is the sequel to _Twilight Is When the Monsters Come Out_. So you might want to read that before reading this. Okay? Okay. :)

**Summary:** *Sequel to TIWtMCO* Bella's life has been a nightmare since the takeover, thanks to the many vampires stalking her. When Jacob Black and his problems come to her notice, she's glad for a chance to take her mind off things. Until everything changes... AU

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PREFACE

After the Cullens left Forks, leaving James and his coven in charge of the town and all its people, I thought things couldn't _possibly_ get any worse. I thought that the nightly terrors, the constant fear of dying or losing Charlie, and the agony in my heart and soul caused from Edward leaving couldn't be topped by _anything_.

But I was wrong.

I gained a friend, someone whom I could be close to after I lost Edward and the rest of the Cullens. But then he betrayed me. He kept a horrible secret from me, one that caused me to get hurt. Badly. It was _his_ fault that I was scarred for life, in shock at what had happened.

And if that wasn't enough, the vampires chose that time to strike, taking away the one thing that kept me relatively happy, the one person whom I had left. I was left all alone, and willing to do _anything_ to end my lonely existence.

I joined the wrong side, striking back against those who hurt me and my family. I was in constant danger, even more so than I could be in when around my supposed friend. And I didn't care, because I was alone and broken. I didn't care if I died, because nothing mattered to me anymore. Even life.

And then I made the wrong choice, and my once-friend and those close to _him_ got the brunt of the attack. He said he hated me, and I only wanted to end my life. I didn't feel like continuing to live like this, like an empty shell and so very alone.

But things went quite differently than what I expected, and James got his deepest desire to come true. I am in his clutches now, waiting to die.

And so here I stand, waiting for the final bite of death. As they lean ominously closer, I close my eyes. My last thought is of Edward, and of the relationships that I had broken.

It is time for me to die.

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Please review if you have the time! :)


	2. The Way Things Are Now

**Disclaimer: **_Twilight_ isn't mine. Ask Stephenie Meyer, and she'll set you straight! :P

**IMPORTANT A/N: ***sighs* Okay, the first order of business is to set all of you straight. When you see the two characters listed at the top of a story, that DOESN'T mean that the pair of them are going to be romantically involved. Say, if you see a story with Bella and Alice as the two main characters, it DOESN'T mean that the pairing for that story will be AliceBella. *shudders* Much is the same for THIS story. I made the two main characters Bella and Jacob because Edward is kind of AWAY at the moment. And Jake is going to be the second main character of this story, after Bella. Does that make sense? So for all of you that are worried, the pairing is still very much so EdwardBella. There, now I hope that all of you are reassured...

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1. THE WAY THINGS ARE NOW

It was three in the morning, and I was standing in the shower. Hot water sprayed over my body, washing away the tension and stress I could feel pounding through me. It made my muscles relax, washing away the sweat I could feel clinging to my skin after yet another nightmare, but it did nothing for the figurative hole in my heart, a cruel byproduct of Edward leaving.

I knew Charlie was just down the hall in his bed, sleeping with his pistol at his side. But this didn't make me feel any better, any safer. I knew that _nothing_ would really protect any of the people of Forks from its rulers if they decided to go against the Volturi's instructions and attack us. They would be a swarm, full of evil and hatred and bloodlust. They would knock down our flimsily barricaded doors and break through the metal shutters covering our windows. And then they would grab us all in their clawed hands and destroy us, sucking away our blood.

Forks hadn't always been like this. The people of this town had once lived a relatively normal life with few restrictions, under the alleged regime of the Cullen family. They had been afraid, but not so much that they kept their windows barricaded even in the sunlight, like they did now. I had also been one of the ones who were afraid; _terrified_, even.

Then Edward had saved my life. He and Alice had told me their story, and slowly integrated me into the vampric family. I had fallen in love with Edward, and he with me. I had also gotten closer and closer to the rest of his family, enough so that they told me their secrets and even took me out during a thunderstorm to watch them play baseball.

That's when it had all changed, two months ago.

My fingers unconsciously brushed over the scar on the side of my neck, where Edward's teeth had pierced my skin. He had drained all of James's venom from my body, saving my life yet again. And the bite remained an eternal reminder to this, and to him. And it was why I always had to keep my hair down, safely arranged around my shoulders.

James undoubtedly knew that I was the real human the Cullens had confided in, but had allowed Angela Weber to be executed in my place, as Edward and his family had intended. He was merely biding his time for me to slip up, so he could reveal his proof and have _me_ executed as well. And so I was always very careful, especially since he and his cronies were always watching.

I turned off the shower, then slowly reached for a towel. Wrapping it around my body and reveling in its cottony warmth, I wrung my hair out, then grabbed my bag of bathroom supplies and opened the door. Careful to move quietly, to avoid startling my allegedly sleeping father, I moved down the hall and stepped inside my bedroom. I closed the door, then softly dropped my bag to the floor, eyes drifting towards the board nailed firmly over the single window.

Shuddering with the thought of what horrors lay outside that window, I dropped my towel to the floor and made my way around to the dresser where all my clothes were stored. Pulling open a drawer, I selected jeans and long-sleeved shirt, then pulled both articles of clothing on.

Feeling much better with clothes on, and memories of my nightmare slowly beginning to fade, I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. Clutching the hammer from under my pillow, I stared into the darkness with wide eyes and willed sleep to come.

It didn't, not until nearly seven.

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When my alarm went off at eight, I had barely slept at all. I pressed the snooze button, then climbed wearily out of bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Knowing that I probably looked horrible, I stowed the hammer back under my pillow and stood. Stretching my aching joints, I padded over to the mirror and stared listlessly at my reflection.

My eyes looked too dark against my pale face, and my hair was a tangled mess. Grimacing, I ran a brush through my hair a few times, then gave up and grabbed my bag of school books. Then I headed downstairs to have breakfast.

Charlie was in the kitchen, stowing his dirty bowl and glass away into the dishwasher. He looked up sympathetically as I entered the room, and I saw that the dark circles under my own eyes were mirrored under his. I obviously wasn't the _only_ one having trouble sleeping.

"I was just about to head off to work, Bells," he murmured, closing the dishwasher with a solid thump and turning to wash his hands in the sink. "Uh…you need anything from town today? Maybe some groceries?"

I tiredly wracked my brain for a reply. "Yeah. I think we need some…eggs. Maybe a gallon of milk. And some cheese. And probably two bags of salad." I then just gave up and rummaged around in my bag for a spare scrap of paper and a pencil. I wrote out a full list for him, then handed it over when I was finished. "But don't worry about it if you don't have time," I added severely. "We'll just have some TV dinners for supper if you can't get to the store tonight. And I think we've got some leftover meatloaf."

He nodded, brushing a kiss against the top of my head. "Okay, Bells. I'll try to leave work early to get all this stuff." He glanced down at the list in his hand, then haphazardly shoved it into a pocket. "Okay. Well. Uh…your mother called a few minutes ago, but I was, er, in the shower. So you might want to call her back."

I suppressed a sigh. We _both_ knew that he hadn't really been in the shower when she'd phoned. He _never_ answered when Renée called, though neither did I, since he almost certainly didn't want to lie and tell her that everything was fine when it actually _wasn't_. She probably hadn't heard her ex-husband's voice in about three months.

"Okay. I'll be sure to call her back before I leave for school." I glanced towards the answering machine, and saw that its light was flashing a steady red.

"Okay. Thanks, Bells." Charlie paused awkwardly. "Well…see you tonight, I guess. Love you."

"Love you too, Dad." I watched him as he strode from the kitchen and out into the entryway. He gathered up all his stuff for work, then was gone, leaving me alone in the cavernously empty house.

Surprisingly enough, Charlie was busier at work than ever before these days. Instead of sitting around the office and playing cards with his deputies, he was forced to keep the fragile peace between the humans and vampires intact. Most everyone in the town had gone a little crazy after we'd been invaded, and were constantly trying to pull off insane stuff that could make the vampires rear up and crush us all into the ground. It was dangerous work, but someone had to do it.

Walking over to the answering machine, I warily pressed the button. Then, as there was a cheerful beep, I headed over to the refrigerator and began rummaging around on top of it for some cereal. My mother's bright voice filled the kitchen, but I could easily hear the worry she was trying so hard to conceal. _"Hi, Bella. Charlie. How're things going with you two these days? I haven't really heard from you lately, so I was wondering if something was, you know, wrong. I'm starting to think you flew the coop on me!" _She gave that fake laugh of hers, then there was a few seconds of silence. _"It's just sort of _strange_ that I only hear from you in voice messages and emails nowadays, Bella dear. It's been that way for about two months now, and I don't really like it. Are you sure you're both, well, _okay_? Anyway, call me back when you get this message. I'm out at a game with Phil all of today, so call me on my cell phone. You know the number." _She paused again, and when she next spoke, her voice sounded vulnerable and afraid. _"Please, Bella. I love you. Just…call me back."_

I hurriedly blinked the tears from my eyes, biting down hard on my lip. Placing the box of cereal onto the kitchen counter, I picked up the phone and deliberately dialed Renée's home number. I waited until the recorded message of Phil had finished playing, swallowing back the painful lump in my throat, then said as cheerfully as possible, "Hey, Mom. Hey, Phil. I guess we missed each other _again_, Mom. Weird how that happens, huh?" I paused and held the phone away from my face as I choked back a sob.

When I was in control of myself again, I continued, "And don't be so paranoid. Dad and I are doing great here, having a blast. He's actually not so bad to live with, except when he forgets to put the toilet seat down. Um…school is okay, which is kind of where I need to be right now. So…I'll send you an email later, Mom. Bye." I hung up, choking back more tears as I forcefully slammed the phone back into its plastic cradle.

I _hated_ having to lie to her, to tell her I would call her or email her later, when I never did. But it was necessary. If she was even the _slightest_ bit suspicious, if she had even the _tiniest_ idea that something was wrong, the Volturi would mercilessly kill her. Just like they'd done to Angela.

Nausea boiled inside me as I remembered all-too well that horrible crack as Aro had broken her neck, and I swallowed back bile. An image of the very same thing happening to Renée appeared in my mind, and I turned away from the box of cereal and headed out of the kitchen instead of eating.

Grabbing my bag and key, I slipped outside and locked up behind me. Not that a mere lock would keep any determined vampires from breaking in, but it would certainly keep the human burglars from getting too many ideas.

Rubbing my arms as a chilly breeze swept past, I hurried down to the crusher and pulled open the door. Not bothering to look around for any signs of being watched, since I undoubtedly was, I hauled myself inside and carelessly tossed my bag across the seat. Turning the key, I started the crusher's engine and roared away from the curb.

Trees flashed past as I headed for school, and I found myself swerving into the wrong lane of traffic countless times. I was dead on my feet from getting so little sleep the night before, so that's probably why I didn't believe my eyes at first, until I'd nearly hit him.

A vampire with gleaming crimson eyes and blonde hair stood in the center of the road, staring right at me. Gasping, I jerked the wheel sharply to the right and managed to avoid him just in time. Memories of when I hadn't been so lucky at avoiding Edward in the road once so long ago coming back to the surface, I pulled back into the correct lane and put my food on the brake.

The vampire glided up to the window as I reluctantly rolled it down, like some kind of twisted police officer handing out a ticket. I recognized him immediately as Riley, one of Victoria's right-hand men. He haunted me often, though I suspected it was more for the fun of it than because of actual orders.

"You should be more careful when driving. You seemed a bit…reckless," Riley hissed at me, leering in a way that was highly disturbing.

"S-sorry. I'll be more careful next time," I stuttered, wondering just how long he could keep me there with absolutely no excuse. After all, _he'd_ been the one to stand in the center of the road and not try to get out of the way. So it was basically his fault that we were sitting here.

"Good. Remember, my parking tickets can be a little…_severe_." He inhaled deeply, probably scenting my blood, then was gone. I blinked, trying to figure out where the heck he'd just gone, then shook my head to clear it.

Heart pounding, I released the brake and continued towards school.

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	3. Rebelling

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing I'm writing about, only the plot of this fan fic. But _one_ day… *looks mysterious*

**A/N: **Thanks so much to Nightwatcher'sunknowngirl, hoot13, november21, JUCIFICS, Live Like We're Dying, Bellarella, vampsrulewolvesdont, Edward-is-sexier-than-Mike, Kyoki, bayoubabe985, -X-X-TEAM-EMMETT-X-X, Emma-girl, Izzabel, ajh70792, bella shanice cullen, amsy12, bolota, GwenShaw56, 9 tailed vixen, and Kahtilyn13 for reviewing. I really appreciate it! :D And since I've been distracted by my original novel lately, and took such a long time updating, I tried to make this a super-awesome chapter! I hope I succeeded. lol Enjoy! :D

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2. REBELLING

The rest of the drive to school was uneventful, thank God. I saw no other signs of Riley, or even of James. In fact, someone just passing through town would see no evidence that anything was actually amiss in the town. Just as Aro had wanted, the town continued to hold an air of normalcy. No one would know the danger until it hit them. Or in this case, _bit_ them.

I pulled the crusher into an empty parking slot at the school, then clambered out. As usual, the area was strangely empty of high school students. At least _that_ hadn't changed with James's new reign of terror. I'd been used to finding the parking lot empty since I'd moved first here.

I gathered up my bag, fiercely slamming the truck's door. My eyes involuntarily landed on the spot not so far away where Angela had been so brutally murdered. I swallowed back tears, seeing the dark bloodstains that still remained after two long months, at James's insistence, and hurried into the school.

Students rushed to and fro, trying urgently to get to their first classes on time. Most of them didn't even spare the table at the front door a second glance, so used to this new procedure by now that they didn't even think about it twice.

Not glimpsing anyone I really knew on a first name basis, I got in line at the table. There were only three other people in front of me, so I got to the start of the line in no time. Swallowing the sick feeling in my stomach, I tried not to look too grim as the beautiful Gianna studied me devotedly. "Ah. Ms. _Swan_, was it? Welcome to Forks High School, after such a _lovely_ weekend," she cooed brightly, marking something down onto a sheet of paper. "And how are _you_ this fine Monday morning?"

I muttered something unintelligible as a response.

She raised her eyebrows, writing something else down. Behind that obviously fake smile of hers, I saw a frosty scrutiny that made me uneasy. "Well, you know the modus operandi, I suppose. Made any unauthorized phone calls, or written any unconstitutional emails? Spoken out against the Law with anyone inside _or_ outside of Forks? Done anything _remotely_ against the rules of the Law? No? Great. Have a _lovely_ day!" She waved me on, verbally pouncing on the next student in line.

I moved on towards my first class, rubbing idly at my aching temple. There was something unsettling about Gianna, and not just because she worked knowingly for the Volturi. There was just something I didn't _like_ about her, and that was that.

I made my way to English, where I was absurdly early. Not even Mr. Mason was there yet, though I wasn't surprised. The man's new practice was to try to get there as late as possible every day, so he could spend as much time as possible in the relative safety of his home. Eric, on the other hand, was already sitting in his seat. Ben Cheney, who had recently transferred from his first period science class into this one, was leaning across the aisle to speak to him. When I walked in, both of them instantly clammed up.

Trying not to feel _too_ awkward, I pretended not to notice, sitting down and getting out my books and a couple of pencils. But I was actually far too aware of the fact that the two of them had resumed whispering behind me, as soon as my attention had allegedly gone elsewhere. I had a bad feeling that they, along with several other students attending school here, were up to something that they _really_ shouldn't be.

But it was none of my business, so I continued to ignore them.

Mr. Mason eventually showed up, though not until the last student had trickled into the room. Then he began a lecture on _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, to which I didn't bother listening. I already knew just about everything about this certain play by Shakespeare, though by choice instead of under force from a teacher. Many of his written plays fascinated me, especially _Romeo and Juliet_, the story of forbidden love. It kind of reminded me of my own life, and my lost relationship with Edward. Although, Juliet hadn't been much of a tomboy. And Romeo hadn't exactly been a bloodsucking vampire.

In boredom, I found myself doodling across my notebook, instead of taking notes on Mr. Mason's lecture. The supposedly random scribbles slowly formed something more intricate, a picture showing where my thoughts always were these days. After drawing for quite some time, I found Edward's gorgeous face staring up at me, eyes as dark as the void of outer space.

Starting, I hurriedly crumpled the paper into a ball and shoved it into the depths of my bag. Heart pounding, I glanced around furtively, praying that no one had noticed my strange behavior. And to my immense relief, none of the other students seemed to be paying me any mind. Most of them were either sleeping or staring blankly at their desks.

_Oh Edward,_ I thought mournfully. _Why did you do this to us? How could you think it was better to run away than to stay and fight? Surely the Volturi aren't _that_ powerful._

Class seemed to drag on forever. When it finally ended, I wasted no time gathering my books and hurrying from the room. I noticed from the corner of my eye as I rushed into the hall that Ben and Eric lingered, speaking in hushed voices at the back of the room.

My next class was Government. I decided to drop by the bathroom first, to wash my face. I was about to fall asleep standing up, and hoped that cold water would help a little.

The bathroom was empty when I went inside. I took a few moments to glance around and reminisce about the time Alice and Rosalie had once hunted me here, then turned to the mirror above the sinks. Dark circles stood out under my eyes, and my hair looked like a haystack. Ugh. Could I look any worse? No wonder everyone ignored me these days.

I reached into my bag and pulled out a brush, which I began methodically tugging through my hair. I bit my lip in pain, grumbling curses under my breath. This was the last time I'd ever wash my hair and go to bed without brushing it. Even though the town was under a creepy vampire régime, I shouldn't go around looking like death warmed over.

The late bell rang loudly. I jumped, accidentally dropping the brush. It landed with a clatter on the tile, sliding under the sinks. "Crap," I muttered, getting on my hands and knees and peering into the murky shadows under the sinks. The tile was sticky under my palms, and I tried to ignore the extreme gross factor as I pulled my brush from a mound of dust and cobwebs.

Standing, I stuffed the brush back into my bag. Then I put my hands under a facet and washed them off. I followed this action up by splashing cold water on my face. Unfortunately, the action didn't revive me as much as I'd hoped. I still felt beyond tired.

"Leave me alone!" someone cried, just outside the bathroom door. "Please, I didn't do anything wrong! J-just let me go, _please_!"

I grabbed my bag and ran into one of the stalls. I had barely pushed the door closed when two people burst into the room. One was a girl I recognized from around the school, Haily. The other was a vampire.

Heart pounding, I pressed my face to a crack and peered out into the bathroom. The vampire had pushed Haily up against the wall with one arm, and was wickedly tracing her face with his free hand. She whimpered quietly, legs shaking. It was painfully obvious that the vampire intended to have his fun with her before draining her dry.

"P-p-please," Haily wept tearfully, shaking so badly that her metal bracelets were rattling together. "I didn't do anything. Please. I-I just…I don't want to die! _Please_ let me _go_!"

I clenched both hands into fists, nails digging into my palms. My heart was pounding even harder now, and it was surprising that the vampire didn't notice me.

"Sorry, _sweetheart_. I guess this just isn't your day." The vampire grabbed Haily's skirt, fingering its frayed denim edge. Haily's knees were shaking so much that she could barely stand, tears soaking her cheeks.

I couldn't stand there and watch any longer.

Before I could lose my nerve, I kicked the stall door open and jumped from my hiding place. "Leave her alone, you creep," I snapped, trying my best to seem unafraid.

The vampire slowly turned to look at me, crimson eyes narrowing. He showed off a set of eerily white teeth, while obviously checking me out. "I guess this is my lucky day. Feeling suicidal, girl? Not many of your friends would try such a stunt." He released Haily, who fell to her knees with a small cry of pain. Then he walked towards me, taking his time. I stood my ground, mustering my best glare and aiming it at him.

He stopped just a couple of feet away, and leaned in so close that I could make out the individual hairs of his eyebrows. "Aren't you…_afraid_?"

I tried to keep my breathing steady, knowing he could easily hear it. "Of course not. You're just an overgrown bully with a blood fetish." The words had sounded cool and collected in my head, but seemed more like a childish taunt when I spoke them aloud.

He threw his head back and laughed. "James is gonna _love_ this, when I tell him about you. Not many humans are as _completely stupid_ as you are, babe." He reached out and grabbed my arm in an iron grip. I looked desperately towards Haily for help, but she was practically comatose from fear. No help would be coming from that direction.

I tried to jerk my arm away, but the vampire didn't let go. I choked back a cry of pain as his fingers dug into my skin. He was leaning towards my neck, sniffing delicately. "Well, well, well. What have we got _here_?" He abruptly let go of my arm and jerked my hair out of the way for a closer look. He traced a shape against the side of my throat, fingers icy, and I suddenly knew what he was looking at.

The scar given to me by James. He had bitten me, inserting deadly venom into my system. Then Edward had sucked the venom out, keeping me from either dying or changing into a vampire. I'd been careful to keep my neck covered with hair these past couple of months, to keep anyone from noticing the scar. But there was nothing I could do to get myself out of this situation; the scar had been seen.

"Has someone been a little _naughty_?" the vampire crooned suggestively, craning his neck to one side for a better view. "Maybe you'd like a scar for the _other_ side, too?" He flashed a sickening smile, once again showing his brilliantly white teeth.

I raised my free hand and slapped him.

He went still, a look of thunderous rage consuming his features. "Okay, you little _bitch_. Think you're so smart? Let's see how you like _this_!" he lunged for my neck, teeth inches from my neck.

I flinched back, waiting for the pain of teeth tearing into my neck, but instead heard a wet sound and a heavy thud. Something wet splashed across my face. There was a businesslike rustling sound, and someone whispering harshly, so I cautiously opened my eyes.

The vampire was writhing on the floor, a wooden stake protruding from his chest. He looked more angry than anything, even with a pool of blood slowly spreading out across the tile. Several students that I vaguely recognized were binding his wrists and ankles, determined expressions painted on their faces. They seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

I slowly reached up and touched my face, and my hand came away wet with blood. Opening my mouth, I tried to say something, but all that came out was a startled squeak. Shakily clearing my throat, I managed to choke out, "What are you _doing_? Are…are you _crazy_?"

A beautiful girl with chocolate-colored skin looked up from stuffing a gag into the vampire's mouth. I thought her name was Freema. "You okay? Swan, wasn't it?"

"Aren't you worried about getting caught? You can't just do this to the vampires. They'll come after you and your family, and they'll _kill_ you!" I babbled. This was actually my deepest fear, that James or Laurent or Victoria would discover that _I_ had been with Edward and his family in the meadow, not Angela, and they would murder Charlie in front of me. I was terrified of that possibility.

Freema ignored me, nodding to the others. "Okay, let's get this show on the road." Two guys heaved the struggling vampire off the floor, then staggered with him out the bathroom door. Freema and another girl whose name I couldn't recall quickly wiped up the blood on the tile and flushed the paper towels. Then they rushed out the door after the others.

I stood in the middle of the bathroom for a few seconds, staring after them. The only sound was Haily whimpering in the corner, blathering senseless gibberish under her breath. Looking over at my reflection in the mirror, I stared at the blood slowly drying across my forehead and cheeks. I looked horrific, like a survivor from a horror movie.

I grabbed my backpack and raced out of the bathroom, into the main corridor. It was almost completely empty, except for the faint shapes of Freema and the other girl vanishing towards the back doors at the end of the hall.

Breaking into a sprint, I followed them. Even though I knew this was probably one of the stupidest things I'd ever done, I felt a pounding curiosity to find out what they intended to do with the vampire. Everyone else in Forks were like sheep, being blindly herded towards the slaughterhouse. But not these four. I had no idea what they were up to, but it looked like they were fighting the Volturi's control. I had to see how this ended.

I reached the back doors and shoved them open, panting as I came to a stop on the sidewalk outside. The four kids and vampire were gone, a black pickup slowly fading into the distance as it sped down the road. Staring at it for a few seconds, I took off around the side of the building, towards my truck.

It was sprinkling slightly, and the pavement was wet. Water splashed under my pounding sneakers, soaking the bottoms of my jeans. I ignored the uncomfortable feeling of wet denim brushing against my legs, and finally reached my destination. Glancing guiltily over my shoulder, I pulled open the crusher's door and pulled myself into the warm truck. Slamming the door and poking the key into the ignition, the truck roared to life. I didn't bother buckling in, stepping on the gas and thundering out of the school parking lot.

The streets were almost completely empty, so it was easy to keep up with the black truck. My heart was pounding as I followed as closely as I dared. They were headed out of town, down the highway. Whoever was driving had to be going at least ninety.

I followed the truck for about ten minutes, then it pulled off onto a gravel side road. I slowed down and pulled in after it, turning off the ignition and setting the parking brake. Taking a deep breath, I climbed from the truck and started walking down the path. Gravel crunched under my feet, and the raindrops falling from the sky pattered against the leaves of the trees.

_Why are you doing this? _my brain screamed at me, though I ignored it. _You don't have anything to do with these people, but you still followed them out into the middle of nowhere! And now you're walking down a deserted road in the middle of the woods, just to see what they're going to do with some vampire who tried to kill you!_

The tension of Forks had to be messing with me. There was no other explanation for my crazy behavior.

Up ahead, I could hear voices. I could also hear the vampire swearing loudly; apparently, his gag had been removed. I slowed my steps, walking off the main path and into the protective shadows of the trees. Peering through the undergrowth, I saw the vampire on the ground, an additional stake protruding from his chest. The four kids stood around him, and one of the guys held an ax. Freema seemed to be holding a cigarette lighter.

"Oh my God," I whispered. Were they doing what I _thought_ they were doing?

"You are being punished for your crimes against Forks," one of the guys said in a bored tone, ignoring his victim's violent swearing. "Like those before you, killed in this very place, you will be beheaded and set on fire. Then we're going to dance around the flames while your body slowly turns to ashes."

My jaw dropped in shock. Was he saying they'd killed _other_ vampires before? And more importantly, were the four of them _insane_?

"They'll find you," the vampire spat. "They'll find you and _stop_ you!" This was followed by a string of obscenities.

"It doesn't matter," Freema said, smirking coldly. "We aren't the only ones. There are more of us, more than you can imagine. And not just students." She looked up, nodding once towards the guy holding the ax.

I gasped and looked away as the ax came down, whole body starting to shake. I heard the sound of the lighter, clicking loudly, then a roar of flames. The vampire started screaming, and one of the guys laughed. Actually _laughed_.

Keeping my eyes averted from the horrifying scene, I listened while my classmates got out a bottle of beer and passed it around, quietly celebrating their victory. Even though I understood their feelings, it was sick. They had burned the vampire _alive_, after cutting off his leg. They hadn't even cut off his head to spare him the torture of the flames. It was just _sick_.

I started to turn away, to leave. My stomach was churning with nausea, and all I wanted to do was go home and try to get some sleep. To try to forget what I had seen and heard today.

But then it happened.

Dark shapes sprang from the trees on the opposite side of the small clearing, landing beside the sizzling red-orange flames. The girl whose name I couldn't remember went down instantly, neck making a sinister cracking noise when twisted by one of the new arrivals.

Laurent flashed an ominous smile at the trio of shocked humans. "Take them," he murmured to his newborn companions, with his intense French accent.

"Stakes!" Freema shouted, evidentially snapping back to reality. She pulled a thick piece of wood from under her jacket, while the two guys fumbled to do the same. But before she could even attempt to defend herself, a newborn had pounced. His sharp teeth sank into her neck, and she gave a garbled scream that was suddenly cut off.

Stomach heaving and horrified tears flodding my eyes, I turned and ran. Branches slapped my face and bare arms, but I didn't stop. Even when a root seemed to reach out and grab my foot, I wrenched my sneaker free and kept going. My breath came in whistling gasps that sounded unnaturally loud to my own ears, and everything else was weirdly muted. The only other thing I heard was the screaming behind me.

I made it to the truck, wrenching its door open and nearly sobbing with relief as I slammed it behind me. I turned the key, then stepped on it. Gravel and dirt blew up behind me as I rapidly backed up, turned around, and drove off down the highway. Trees flashed past, and I didn't bother looking at my speedometer.

Oh my God. Freema and those other kids were dead. They had to be. Those vampires had been so angry, and I doubted they would leave the four kids alive out of the goodness of their hearts. And I had come pretty close to joining them in the afterlife. I'd barely managed to escape.

Why had I come to this town in the first place? Why hadn't I stayed with Renée and Phil, where it was safe? I was trapped in this horrible place, with no escape. I would probably die here, prematurely.

I was looking over my shoulder, checking for any signs of pursuers, and didn't see the figure crossing the road until it was too late. Weirdly enough, I was reminded of the time I'd nearly run Edward over on this same highway as I jerked the wheel to the side. I heard the tires screeching loudly on the pavement as I frantically pumped the brakes, then everything was chaos.

The world went around and around, making me feel like clothes stuck inside a washing machine, then there was a horrific crunching of metal. Everything went still, and I waited blearily for my stomach to catch up. Blackness tinged my vision, signaling impending unconsciousness, and I had the brief thought of: _Oh, great. Not again._

There was a loud clicking sound, the door pulling open. Then a face leaned over me, obscured with ghostly shadows. "Bella? Bella, is that you? Are you okay?"

Everything faded into darkness before I could answer.

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Okay, guys. Please review if you have the time! :D


	4. Jacob Black

**Disclaimer: **NOT MINE!

**A/N: **Thanks a million for all the story alerts and favorite stories, everyone. And special thanks goes out to my reviewers for the last chapter: Edward-is-sexier-than-Mike, Bella Shanice Cullen, maariee, hoot13, november21, vampsrulewolvesdont, GwenShaw56, fanpire21404, BlueEyes444, and mixmatched9!

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3. JACOB BLACK

When I next opened my eyes, I was lying on an unfamiliar sofa. I sat straight up, gasping aloud, and glanced around the room. It wasn't in the best shape, and most of the other furniture looked noticeably shabby. Even the curtains that framed the single window looked ancient. Definitely not my house. So where the hell was I?

Something creaked behind me, and I jumped to my feet and spun around. An Indian man in a wheelchair had just rolled into the room, a glass of water balanced on his lap. When I leapt to a standing position, he waved both hands soothingly. "Calm down, Bella. Everything's going to be fine," he murmured calmingly.

"Who are you?" I demanded, embarrassed to hear my voice getting shriller as I continued speaking. "And how do you know my name?"

"My name is Billy Black," the man said calmly, seemingly ignoring my obvious distress. "My son Jacob brought you home after you were in a car wreck."

Billy Black. I'd heard that name before; Charlie talked about him sometimes. Then the rest of his words sunk in, and my eyes widened. "Jacob?" I blurted out, memories of the wreck exploding through my mind. I also thought of what had happened to Freema and the other kids, and felt nauseous.

Billy nodded, then rolled his wheelchair forward. He held out the glass of water to me. "You might need this," he said.

I gratefully took the glass from him and greedily sipped the water. I had apparently been even thirstier than I'd known. "Was I hurt?" I asked finally, putting the glass down on a small end table. "In the wreck, I mean." I felt okay, except for my aching muscles, but I couldn't exactly see myself without a mirror. I could have gotten a few cuts for all I knew.

Billy shook his head. "Your car only slid off the road; neither you nor the car were very badly damaged."

I frowned. Something about his story didn't sit well with me. "There was someone crossing the road," I said suddenly, frowning as I tried to remember the wreck more clearly. "I didn't see who it was, but I had to swerve to avoid them. That's why I crashed."

"You must have hit your head. Jacob says that there was no one else present at the scene," the elderly Indian said steadily, without blinking. "You might have a bruise later, if that's the case."

"I didn't hit my head," I said impatiently, unable to keep the irritation from my voice. "There was someone else there."

"You're mistaken."

Several beats of silence passed as we stared at each other, then I finally cleared my throat and let the subject drop. "How did Jacob find me?" I asked warily; I couldn't keep from being just a little suspicious of this man. He was hiding something, though I had no idea what it could be.

Billy didn't hesitate. "He was out riding his bike near the woods. He heard your truck crash from there."

My eyes narrowed. "That's a little far to be out to be riding a bicycle."

"Jacob likes to stay fit," was all that Billy offered for an explanation.

"Are you talking about me behind my back again, Dad?"

I spun around at the sound of Jacob's voice, and found him standing just behind me. He had apparently just finished a shower, because his dark hair was wet and his clothes stuck slightly to his body. "Jake," I said with too much relief, then quickly coughed to cover it. I didn't want to be rude, but his dad was creeping me out just a little.

"Hi, Bells. How're you doing after the accident?" he asked lightly, giving me a small smile.

"Okay, I guess," I said. "Your dad was just telling me that you were out riding your bike when you found me."

Jacob paused almost unnoticeably, eyes darting towards his father. "Yeah," he eventually answered. "A good thing, too. Did you lose control of the wheel or something?"

"Since Bella's feeling better, I'll head back to my newspaper now," Billy interjected. He expertly turned his wheelchair around and rolled from the room.

I stared after him for a few seconds, then lifted my eyes back to Jacob's. "Yeah. Or something," I answered him dully. I didn't mention the figure I'd seen in the road, knowing I was very likely to get the same answer from him that Billy had given me.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence paused, during which we stared at each other without saying anything.

"Do you want a drink of water or anything?" he asked suddenly.

"No, your dad took care of me," I said, then grimaced when I realized how ominous that sounded. "I would like to get home, though. How badly messed up is my truck?"

"You can hardly tell that anything happened," he said. "Come on outside and I'll show you."

"Okay," I said doubtfully. From what I could remember of the wreck, it had been pretty bad. How was it that both my truck and I had managed to survive with barely a scratch? Maybe my extremely bad luck was finally starting to turn around.

We walked out through an ancient screen door, stepping onto a wooden porch that creaked worryingly under my weight. Then we headed across the weedy front yard to where my truck was parked on a gravel driveway. I quickly scanned it over, and saw only one small dent in the driver's side door.

"Wow," was all I could think of to say, brushing my hand against the barely visible dent.

He grinned and patted the hood like it was actually a dog, instead of a faded red truck. "See, I told you. Your dad definitely picked out a great truck for you."

I thought of something Charlie had told me a long time ago, on the way from picking me up at the airport so many months ago. "Didn't you work on it before my dad bought it?"

Looking vaguely surprised, Jacob nodded. "Yeah, I did. I managed to get the thing running after a bit of tinkering. It used to be in pretty bad shape back in the day, believe it or not."

"Thanks. Without you, I never would have gotten this truck," I joked, trying to make my voice light. I must have failed pretty badly, because another self-conscious silence ensued.

"Can I ask you something?" I ventured, after a few moments.

"Sure. What is it?"

"What were you _really_ doing out by the highway?" I questioned bluntly. "I don't think you were riding a bike, no matter what your dad said. You strike me as more of a car guy."

He suddenly couldn't meet my gaze, using the edge of his shirt to polish my truck's hood. "You're pretty smart, Bella. What gave it away?"

"Don't try to stall. Just tell me the truth, Jake," I said firmly, folding my arms. "It can't be that bad."

He finally looked at me, something weird shining in his dark eyes. "Actually, it can be that bad," he disagreed quietly.

As though on cue, a loud howl rang out from the trees surrounding the house. I gasped involuntarily, then blushed. "Sorry," I muttered, as the howling went on and on. "I'm more of a city girl. Wild animals are kind of scary for me. The big bad wolf and all that."

"There are a lot of wolves around these parts," Jacob told me softly. "They usually don't come out until after dark, though. They're probably hunting right now."

_If only they would decide to hunt James and his cronies,_ I thought darkly. Out loud I said, "So you're interested in animals?"

He looked startled. "Why would you say that?"

I laughed uneasily, hearing an odd tone in his voice. "Well, I was basing that particular assumption on the way you're gazing towards the woods right now. Like you want to be right out there with those wolves or something."

"I don't think so," he said, shaking his head. "That would be crazy, wanting to hang out with a bunch of animals."

The howling, which had really been starting to get to me, finally broke off. I breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing the goose bumps from my bare arms.

"Want me to drive you home? It's starting to get dark," he pointed out.

"No, I'll be okay. It's only a few miles," I said.

"I'd feel better if you would let me drive you home," he insisted gently. "If you got in another wreck, I'd feel really guilty."

I rolled my eyes, but walked around to get in on the passenger side. "Fine, Jake. If that's what you want to do." I pulled myself inside and settled down against the leather seat. He got in behind the wheel, and turned the key. "Shouldn't you tell your dad that you're leaving?"

"Naw. He pretty much lets me come and go as I please."

"That must be nice," I said, buckling in as Jacob expertly backed down the driveway and out into the road.

"Are you trying to tell me that Charlie's a strict parent? That's hard to believe."

"You'd be surprised," I muttered.

Jacob glanced over at me before turning his eyes back towards the road. "He probably has a pretty good reason, though. Think about it," he said significantly.

I nodded reluctantly, getting his meaning. "Yeah, I guess so. But I'd like to have a little more freedom sometimes. I'm seventeen, remember."

"I get you. I've got plenty of strictness on my end," he said, sounding a bit depressed.

"Didn't you just say that your dad doesn't bother you much?" I asked, surprised.

"I didn't say it was Dad who was so strict."

I frowned, sensing once again that he was hiding something big from me. "Jake….if there's ever anything you want to talk about, I'm here for you," I said generously, hoping I didn't come across as an adult-wannabe.

"I'd rather not talk about it ever, but I'll keep your offer in mind."

We drove on in silence that was actually companionable instead of awkward for the remaining part of the journey, then pulled up at my house just as twilight was falling. I quickly scrambled out, more from habit than anything else. "Thanks again for bringing me home," I said, starting for the steps. Then I thought of something. "Jake, how are you going to get back? You didn't bring a car," I said worriedly, glancing towards the lengthening shadows that fell across the front lawn.

"Don't worry about me, Bells. I'll be okay." He started out into the street, seemingly unconcerned. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" And then he was gone.

I stared after him, trying to stop feeling so worried. He said he could make it back, even though it was almost dark, so I had no reason to worry about him. If something happened, it was his own fault for being so cocky. Or so I told myself.

Pulling the house key from my pocket, I pushed it into the lock. Just as I was turning the knob, a set of headlights flashed across the house and gravel crunched. I turned and waved at Charlie, who climbed from his cruiser and hurried up the steps to join me. "Isabella, what are you doing out so late?" he demanded angrily.

"Sorry, Dad," I said, thinking quickly. "I was just making sure the shed was locked up."

"Oh," he said, heavy frowning slowly slipping from his face. "Well, as long as you remember not to dawdle outside when it's this dark, honey."

"Dad, I'm not stupid. I'm not going to stay outside in the dark," I said, rolling my eyes. "Now, let's get inside. I was going to make some lasagna for supper." Opening the door, I stepped aside and let him go first.

The hairs on the back of my neck suddenly rose, and I froze and studied the empty yard behind me. No one was there. Swallowing hard and ignoring the feeling of a pair of eyes resting heavily on my back, I went inside and slammed the door.

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Sorry, guys. I know you really want Edward to come back, but it'll be a few more chapters before he does. Jacob is essential to the way I want the plot of this story to go, okay? So don't worry, your favorite vampire will return shortly…


	5. A New Ally

**Disclaimer: **I _wish_.

**A/N: **Thanks to Edward-is-sexier-than-Mike, mixmatched9, BlueEyes444, november21, hoot13, fanpire21404, ahaaaa, and LeanneLeachyy for reviewing. You guys are the greatest! :D

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4. A NEW ALLY

The next morning, I got up when my alarm went off and took a quick shower. Then I picked out my favorite jeans and one of my least-wrinkled shirts and got dressed. After quickly brushing my hair and adding a touch of lip gloss, I bounded down the stairs.

Charlie was in the kitchen, finishing off a bowl of cereal. "Morning, Bells," he said after seeing me. "You look…chipper this morning." He stood and took his bowl to the sink.

I looked at myself in the kitchen window while his back was turned. Did I look happier than usual? True, I felt a bit more cheerful than I had in a while, but I hadn't known that it showed so much. If even Charlie could tell, I needed to tone it down a little on my emotions.

"Um, thanks," I said, deliberately trying to sound uncomfortable. "I'm feeling a little better than I have the rest of this month…"

My clever ploy worked as Charlie quickly dropped the subject. He planted a hasty kiss on my forehead, then hurried from the room. "I'm off to work, honey. See you tonight," he called over his shoulder.

"Bye!" I answered him. As the front door closed, I set my backpack on the kitchen table and gathered up all the dirty dishes left from supper the night before. Carrying them across the room, I put them in the already overflowing sink. I really needed to start the dishwasher when I got back from school this afternoon.

Rummaging around in the refrigerator, I came up with a plastic container of yogurt. I scarfed it down, then wrote _eggs and bacon_ on a list taped to the refrigerator door. I took the time to get a glass of milk, then gathered my stuff again and headed out to my truck.

I dumped everything onto the seat, then climbed in and started the engine. I backed out while buckling up at the same time, and roared towards school. I reached the school in only a few minutes, where a pair of stragglers were just rushing inside. After gathering my bag, I followed them into the building.

As always, Gianna was waiting behind her little table. She looked more somber than usual, and I noticed a faint red mark on the side of her face. "Made any unauthorized phone calls or emails? Spoken out against the Law with anyone? Done anything against the rules of the Law?" she asked briskly, consulting a chart. When I responded the negative, she made a quick mark and waved me on my way.

I hurried towards English, and slid into my seat just before the bell rang. Ben and Eric sat in the back together as usual, and gave me a strange look as I sat down. I decided it was best to ignore them, and turned to face the front just as Mr. Mason breezed in. The teacher dropped a large stack of books and papers onto the desk, which I took to mean there would be a quiz today. I reached into my bag to get out a notebook and pencil, just to be on the safe side.

"Everyone please get out their number two pencils and a sheet of paper," Mr. Mason said loudly, clearing his throat. He straightened his bowtie and reached for one of the books on his desk as he waited for everyone to comply.

"_Bella_!" came a soft whisper from the back of the room.

Shooting a quick glance at Mr. Mason, I slowly turned around. Most of the other kids pretended to be absorbed in digging through their bags for a pencil, as though they noticed nothing out of the ordinary. The only two who weren't doing just that happened to be Eric and Ben.

I swallowed hard, wondering what they wanted. Eric was making all kinds of weird hand gestures which I guess I was supposed to instinctively understand. Needless to say, I had absolutely no idea what he was trying to convey to me.

Mr. Mason noisily cleared his throat, and I whirled around to face the front again. "If everyone is done _visiting_," he stated pointedly, "then please number your papers from one to fifteen. This quiz will be over _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, which we discussed yesterday morning."

Several kids groaned, but didn't put up much argument. I set to numbering my own paper as instructed, ignoring two sets of eyes I could feel resting heavily on my back.

Before I even reached ten, the door to the classroom opened. Mr. Mason started and dropped his book, which fell to the floor with a thud. One guy gasped out loud, while a girl's pencil dropped with a clatter.

A vampire with blazing crimson eyes stood just inside the room, one handing resting against the door he'd just opened. His skin glittered faintly in the rays of sunlight coming from a window on the opposite wall. He looked out across the classroom, then his gaze landed directly on me. My stomach lurched with sudden fear inside my chest. "I need to see Bella Swan," he announced.

Mr. Mason nodded jerkily, as he and everyone else in the room turned to look at me. "C...c…certainly," he stuttered, quickly bending to pick up his book.

Hearting pounding, I grabbed my backpack and stood up. Then I reluctantly walked over to the vampire, who was waiting patiently. I followed him into the hall, closing the classroom door behind me, and waited to see what he wanted.

I couldn't help noticing that he was seriously cute, except for the red eyes and fact that he drank blood for a living. He appeared around seventeen or eighteen, though his real age was likely much more than that, and had dark brown hair. He looked somehow familiar, though I couldn't quite place him.

"You're Bella Swan?" he asked, with a politeness that was usually uncharacteristic when it came down to the vampires who ran with James.

"That's me," I said, mentally swearing when my voice shook slightly.

He reached out and touched my shoulder. I flinched involuntarily, and he quickly withdrew again. "Don't be afraid, Bella. I just need to ask you some questions."

"Questions?" I asked hesitantly, still wondering why he was being so nice to me. Vampires in this town weren't _nice_. But maybe this one was an exception to the rule.

He nodded. "There was an _incident_ with some of the other students," he said carefully. "This kind of questioning is perfectly routine, so don't be worried. Answer the questions as naturally as you can."

"Um, okay," I said. This was suddenly turning into a very interesting morning.

"Where were you yesterday around ten o'clock?"

I suddenly had a very bad feeling that I knew just what 'incident' he meant. "At night?" I asked stupidly.

"Ten o'clock in the morning," he responded patiently, studying my face with an eerie watchfulness.

"Um…I was in class. Government," I lied. _Please don't let him check the records and see that I skipped that period,_ I thought frantically. _Along with the rest of the periods after that one._

Fortunately, he nodded like he accepted my answer. "Did you see anything suspicious before or after class?"

"N-no," I lied.

"Were any of your fellow students acting strange?"

"No."

He thoughtfully bit his lip, a surprisingly human gesture. "Did you see anyone–"

"David, who the hell taught you how to interrogate someone? You're not doing it right." Riley appeared beside us without a moment's warning, eyes alight with a crazed kind of glee. He didn't seem to notice the fact that he wasn't wanted. "You're supposed to interrogate them in a way they understand. Like _this_."

Before I realized what he was about to do, Riley grabbed my throat and slammed me against the wall of lockers directly. My body crashed loudly against them, sending a tremor through my very bones. I clawed at his hand and gasped for air.

"What do you think you're doing, Riley?" the other vampire, David, snapped angrily. There was a strange expression on his face that I couldn't place.

"Showing you how to properly interrogate a stinking human," Riley said matter-of-factly, leering down at me. He released his grip around my throat ever so slightly, presumably so I wouldn't die until he was done speaking.

"Stop it." David's voice was so quiet that I almost thought I'd imagined it.

"_What_?" Riley demanded incredulously, face hardening into a scowl. "What's your problem, David? Are you a human rights supporter or something?"

David's arm shot out in a blur of color, knocking into Riley's face. Riley let me go, allowing me to freely slide down the lockers to the floor, and landed in a crumpled heap several feet away. "What the hell are you doing?" he bellowed, leaping back to his feet and getting into a fighting stance.

I pulled my legs in, to keep them safely out of the other vampire's path. He was obviously mad enough to fight one of his own kind, and I didn't want to chance getting in the middle of it. I rubbed my bruised throat and winced.

"Don't do it, Riley," David said calmly. "I'm older than you. This is a fight you can't win."

"Newborns have more strength. Everyone knows it," Riley snarled, both hands clenching into fists. "What makes you think that I can't kick your ass?"

David shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "Go right ahead and try, if that's what you want to do. Just stop and think about this for a minute: how would the Volturi feel about some of their stock being damaged prematurely? Do you think they'd be very tolerant of your error, even if you _are_ Victoria's little pet?"

I swallowed hard and waited for the response.

There wasn't one, as it turned out. Riley bared his teeth at David, as though to show he wasn't afraid of him, then turned and disappeared down the hall with a burst of speed. David and I were left alone once again in the middle of the hallway.

"Sorry about that," David said, offering me a hand. "Riley gets a bit out of control sometimes."

I stared at the offered hand for a few seconds, then hesitantly took it. It was as cold as I always remembered Edward's hand to be, as he hauled me effortlessly to my feet. "Thanks," I managed to gasp out, rubbing my throat again and taking a step away from him.

"Be careful around that one; he's a loose cannon."

I took his words to mean Riley, and nodded. "If you don't mind me asking," I began, feeling a bit braver after he had defended me, "do I know you from somewhere? You're really familiar to me for some reason. W-were you turned recently, maybe?"

He shook his head and smiled wryly. "Not very recently. It was before you were born."

I blushed. "Oh. S-sorry…"

"Don't be. And thank you for answering the questions." David turned to go, then paused and looked back at me. "And be careful who you talk to around this town, Bella. James and the others _will_ kill you if they find out about the connections you have." And then he was gone.

I leaned against the wall and tried to get my breath back, while musing worriedly over his words. It had _almost_ sounded like he knew about the Cullens. But that wasn't possible.

Or so I told myself.

But then again, he hadn't killed me; had _defended_ me, even. If he was planning to turn me in to James, then why was he drawing out the suspense like this? Was it possible that I'd just gained myself a somewhat to-be-trusted ally?

Once I had finished gathering myself together again, I picked up my backpack and went back into the classroom.

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Does anyone have any theories about who David really is? He's not who you would first suspect... *evil grin* Please review; I'd love to hear from you!


	6. Offer and Argument

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, I definitely own _New Moon_! *awkward pause* No, not really… ^-^;

**A/N: **Thanks so much to hoot13, LeanneLeachyyy, superherofan95, ahaaaa, fanpire21404, Edward-is-sexier-than-Mike, maariee, and BlueEyes444 for reviewing! :D

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5. OFFER AND ARGUMENT

After the incident with David and Riley, nothing else of importance really happened. Just monotonous class after monotonous class.

That is, nothing happened until lunchtime rolled around.

I walked into the cafeteria and got in line to get my lunch. I picked out a pile of revolting glop and an apple, along with a can of Diet Coke, and paid the woman at the cash register. Then I glanced out across the cafeteria and bit my lip.

It was time for the daily uncertainty of deciding where to sit. I usually sat at a table by the trashcans, completely alone, so I started heading in that direction. I tried to ignore the few vampires milling around the far edges of the room, one of whom happened to be Riley. Luckily, he didn't seem to have noticed me.

Someone roughly brushed against my arm, nearly making me drop my tray. Embarrassingly enough, they _did_ drop theirs. It fell to the tile with a mortifyingly loud clatter, pudding and more of the glop I'd spooned onto my own plate flying everywhere. I slowly looked up from the floor, swallowing hard.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" yelled a guy with red hair, right into my face. I thought I remembered his name to be Fred Johnston; he was in my biology class, fifth period.

"S-sorry?" I stuttered, almost shocked wordless by his harsh tone.

The cafeteria had gone dead silent all around us, and I thought I heard one of the vampires chuckle. Probably in anticipation of a possible human brawl; they loved it when we got violent with each other, not that it tended to happen that often.

"What, are you deaf as well as _stupid_? I want to know why the hell you just knocked my food onto the floor. I just paid for that!" he shouted, looming up even closer towards my face.

I finally managed to find my voice again, and clutched my tray tightly to my chest, like a shield of protection. "I'm sorry. I didn't do it on purpose," I said quietly, hoping to calm him down before things got ugly.

"Yeah, like hell you didn't!" Then he lashed out with one hand and shoved my chest with it. I staggered backwards, caught off guard, and almost lost my balance. I managed to gain it again just in time, backing away without taking my eyes from him. Fred was obviously just the slightest bit around the bend.

"Fred, come on, man. It's not worth it." Another guy from my biology class, whose name I definitely couldn't remember, stood up from his seat. "Leave her alone, okay?"

Fred glared ferociously at me, and I was almost more afraid of him than James and the other vampires there for a minute. Then, absurdly enough, he lowered his left eyelid into a quick wink and walked away.

I stared after him for a few moments, mouth hanging open, as the other students began tentatively talking amongst themselves again. Shaking my head, I looked down at my tray. A white scrap of paper that _definitely_ hadn't been there before stuck out from under my plate of unidentifiable glop.

Feeling my eyes widen, I quickly made my way over to my usual table by the trashcans. I sat down and placed my backpack at my feet. Checking to make sure that no one was watching, I unfolded the scrap of paper with shaking hands and read silently to myself.

_The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown;  
The lion beat the unicorn all around the town.  
Some gave them white bread, and some gave them brown;  
Some gave them plum cake and drummed them out of town._

I stared at the nonsensical children's rhyme for a few seconds, then my gaze drifted to the tiny lines of writing beneath it,

_If you wish to join the side of the Unicorn, and beat the lion, phone your consent to the yorkie mascot._

I blinked several times, then reread the rhyme at the top of the paper. It took a few seconds to sink in, then I realized the hidden meaning behind the supposedly light-hearted words. 'The lion' was supposed to mean the vampires controlling Forks. Which meant that, logically, 'the unicorn' had to be the group of vampire hunters that the girl Freema had been involved with.

Glancing around once more to make sure that no one was watching, I looked carefully at the words below the rhyme. Yorkie was Eric's last name, I realized. Which meant he was involved with the so-called Unicorn group, maybe even one of the leaders. Ben was also likely to be a part of it, since the two had been spending so much time together the past couple of months. And if I was reading it right, they wanted me to join up and kill vampires with them.

I took a deep breath and stared hard at the note, weighing my options. It was so tempting to think of joining up with Unicorn. I could finally have my chance to strike back at James and his cronies, and fight against the Volturi for everything that had done to Forks.

But there was a downside. If I joined Unicorn, if I got caught like Freema and the others had, it would doubtlessly mean some sort of issued death penalty. And Charlie and everyone else I cared about would get caught in the crossfire.

No. It was just too dangerous to get involved with a bunch of foolhardy vampire hunters. I couldn't risk it.

Crumbling up the note into a ball, I tossed it into a trashcan behind me.

* * *

After school finally let out, I found myself driving out towards La Push. By the time I realized what I was doing, I found myself pulling up the gravel driveway of Jacob Black's house. There I stayed for a few minutes after shutting off the engine, staring at the dilapidated red house and wondering what the heck I was doing there.

Unfortunately, I couldn't just drive away again. I'd been there long enough that anyone in the house had likely seen me. And I was probably looking like a total idiot, sitting there staring into space instead of getting out.

I heaved a sigh, then clambered out of the crusher and walked up to the front porch. I knocked timidly on the wooden door, then waited.

I didn't have to wait long. Only about ten seconds after my fist fell back to my side, the door creaked open. Billy Black sat just inside, peering out at me from under the brim of his hat. "Good afternoon, Bella," he said calmly.

"Um…is Jacob in?" I asked, suddenly very nervous. What the heck as I even _doing_ here? I barely even knew Jacob; I'd only met him twice. And here I was showing up at his house in the middle of the day, for no real reason.

"He's at the shed," Billy replied. When I only looked blankly at him, he leaned forward and gestured to a small outbuilding near the side of the house.

"Oh. Uh, thanks," I said, then jogged towards the building. The door closed again behind me, Billy apparently retreating back inside.

There was a rotten door hung loosely to cover the entrance to the shed, which I cautiously pulled aside. "Hello?" I called warily, peering into the shadows just inside.

"Boo!"

I screamed, leaping backwards from the shed. My feet got tangled up together, and I fell to the ground with a thud. My whole body ached after the hard impact.

"God, Bella. I didn't mean to scare you." Jacob pushed past the swaying door and helped me to my feet. His hands were very warm against mine.

I busied myself with brushing dirt off the back of my jeans. "Sure you did. Otherwise, you wouldn't have yelled 'boo' at me," I said dryly.

There was a moment of mildly uncomfortable silence at we stared at each other, then Jacob swallowed hard. "So…what's up? Is something…wrong?"

"No," I said quickly, then blushed. "I mean, I just wanted to come hang out. If that's okay. I haven't really got many friends anymore, so…" _God, how much lamer can you make yourself sound, Swan?_ I thought angrily to myself. _You sound like a pathetic dork who no one wants to hang out with at school._

Jacob thankfully didn't seem put off by my lameness, and shrugged. "Sure, if that's what you want. C'mon in." He pushed back past the door and disappeared inside. I cautiously followed him inside, not sure what I'd find when I got there. My usual hangouts didn't involve bachelor pads like this one, that was for sure.

Much to my surprise, I found that the inside of the shed appeared to be set up like a garage. Bulky car parts were everywhere, and a pair of broken-looking motorcycles took up the center of the shed. The occasional cardboard pizza box or empty can of soda were scattered randomly around.

"Sorry about the mess," he said with some embarrassment, before bending down to grab a wrench from the dirt floor. He then leaned over one of the motorcycles to tighten a rusty bolt.

"This is nothing," I laughed. "You should see my room." As soon as the words slipped from my lips, I mentally kicked myself. Jacob tensed, carefully not looking at me, and I quickly tried to think of something clever to say. "Uh, what kind of music do you like?" Not the best conversation starter, but it was better than nothing.

Jacob snorted, tossing the wrench down again. He turned to face me, crossing his arms. I tried not to notice how his shirt rode up with the movement, revealing impressive abs. I quickly looked elsewhere, not wanting to betray Edward. Even though he wasn't exactly in town at the moment. Much to my extreme disappointment.

"This is unbelievable. We're talking about _music_," he said irritably.

"What would you rather talk about?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"How about the _vampires_ ruling over Forks?" he said bluntly. "Or are you like those stupid excuses for people that live in that town, acting like lambs being herded to the slaughterhouse?"

I stared at him for a few seconds, mouth open. _No one_ openly talked down to the vampires and their intentions for all us of; it just wasn't done. "I like to think I'm not stupid," I said lightly, attempting to defuse some tension. "No slaughterhouse for this lamb."

He looked at me with something that was almost like respect, then leaned against the wall. "How can everyone pretend that things are normal around here, when they're _not_? The vampires could kill us all tomorrow, and no one's even doing anything about it."

"I'm not so sure about that," I said, thinking of Unicorn. "And maybe they don't fight back because they're scared. Like you said, the vampires could kill us all in a heartbeat if any of us try something."

"It would be better to die trying to live than to live headed straight for death," he muttered darkly, features settling into a scowl.

I raised my eyebrows. "Wow. You, um, feel strongly about this, don't you?"

"Don't you?"

"Well…yeah. I do."

"I think we should stop the vampires now, while we still can," he said. "Things can only get worse from here, Bella."

"But they're vampires," I felt compelled to point out. "Diamond hard skin and all that. They're pretty hard to kill. Or so I hear."

Jacob suddenly met my eyes, something dangerous lurking in his expression. "What if you could do something that other people can't? Something that could kill every stinking bloodsucker in this state?"

I blinked a few times, trying to figure out what he meant. "That would depend on what exactly you could do," I said carefully.

He shook his head mutely, looking sharply away.

"Besides, not every vampire is evil," I continued, when it became obvious that he wasn't going to say anything else. "Some of them are bound to be good, right?" I thought of the Cullens, who had sacrificed so much to protect Forks, before the Volturi had ruined everything.

He said something I couldn't make out, gazing darkly at the floor.

"What did you say?"

"Don't say that," he repeated, louder this time.

"Say what?"

"That vampires aren't evil. Look around you, Bella! Name a good vampire you've known sometime in your life, off the top of your head."

I bit down hard on my tongue to keep from saying anything rash.

"That's what I thought. No creature that drinks human blood for a living can be _good_," he said forebodingly.

"What if vampires drank animal blood?" I blurted out, before I could stop myself. "What if they didn't touch humans?"

He stared at me for what felt like an eternity before speaking again. "There's no such thing."

"Says who?" I challenged him boldly. "Just because you've never met any doesn't mean they don't exist."

Jacob's hands were clenched into tight fists, and his whole body was shaking with rage. "Who are you, Bella Swan?"

"What do you mean?" I demanded, baffled. "You know who I am."

"It's starting to look like I don't know a _damn_ thing about you," he snapped. "What are you, some kind of bloodsucker lover?"

"Shut up," I said quietly. A memory had been triggered, deep inside the recesses of my mind. A note given to me, calling me a bloodsucker lover and accusing me of causing another girl's death.

His face was redder than usual with anger, the sight sort of frightening. "_What_ did you just say?"

"Don't call me that," I told him, still speaking in a quiet voice. "Believe me, I know what most vampires are capable of. I don't love them, and I never intend to."

"What do _you_ know about vampires?" he snarled, looming thunderously into my face. "You're nothing but a spoiled little girl who's blind to the real ways of the world!"

Something snapped inside me, and I started screaming at him. Words flowed from my lips with absolutely no mental prompting, and once they got started, I couldn't make them stop.

"I hate vampires more than anyone else in this town, Jacob Black! They made Edward and the rest of the Cullens leave me here alone! And they killed Angela in my place!" Tears were starting to leak down my cheeks, which I fiercely told myself were tears of anger. "I would do anything, _anything_, to go back in time and change what happened that day! It's because of me that Angela's dead, because my whole body was frozen, and there was nothing I could to save her!"

The angry tirade finally trailed off, and I clamped my lips together with an audible popping sound. At any other time, I would have been embarrassed beyond belief. But now I was too angry, and tears were still flowing freely.

Jacob was staring at me, having taken a small step backwards as I'd shouted. Now he swallowed hard, Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "Do you mean Angela _Weber_? You were that girl…?"

I turned and raced from the shed, letting the loose door slam behind me. I furiously wiped at my eyes as I ran, ignoring the sound of Jacob calling my name. How could I have been so _stupid_? Angela had sacrificed her life to protect me from having to do the same, and now I'd just jeopardized everything. Everyone I cared about was in danger now, because of me. If Jacob told anyone...

I finally reached the crusher, and quickly climbed inside. Slamming the door, I fired up the engine and sped down the driveway. Jacob stood in my rearview mirror, slowing becoming just a distant figure as I left him far behind.

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Every review will be happily read over and cherished. :D


	7. Visitor

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _New Moon_. *sobs*

**A/N: **To hoot13, superherofan95, Haraldzidla, bolota, Edward-is-sexier-than-Mike, vampsrulewolvesdont, and BlueEyes444: thanks for reviewing. You guys are the greatest! :D And thanks to everyone who alerted and favorited this story and its prequel, as well. But I would LOVE it if you guys would review, too. It makes me sad when I don't get many reviews. :(

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6. VISITOR

Several hours after the incident with Jacob, I was back at home. I had taken the time to gather myself together, then started cleaning the kitchen. After about half an hour of work, all the dirty dishes had been loaded into the dishwasher, and I was chopping up onions for a spicy casserole I was planning to try out for supper. I was consulting the cookbook and trying to remember if we had any garlic power when the doorbell rang.

I froze, heart beginning to pound with fear. We never got any visitors anymore, not since the Volturi takeover. Charlie wasn't due to come home for another hour or so, and it was doubtful he would be ringing the doorbell when he had his own key.

That left only one option: a vampire was trying to lure me outside. And if I had only one chance to guess who it was, I would definitely say Riley. He hated my guts, and David had openly defended me at school. That was just the kind of thing that would make him angry enough to try to kill me.

Acting instinctively, I grabbed the knife I'd been using to cut up onions. Gripping its handle tightly in my hand, I crept warily towards the front door. If I was going down tonight, I was going to try my best to take Riley with me. Even if the knife would probably dent against his diamond hard skin.

I reached the front door, just as the doorbell rang out again. Whoever was on the other side of the door was getting impatient. Taking a deep breath, I got a better grip on the knife then flung open the door. Giving a fierce battle cry like everyone always did on TV, I lunged towards the person on the step, aiming for their throat.

"Whoa! Bella, I'm sorry!" Jacob leapt back several feet, just before I could slash his throat open. "That's why I came, to apologize! So there's no need to _kill_ me!"

I froze with horror, arm clutching the knife falling to my side. "Oh my God," I choked out, breathless. "I am _so_ sorry, Jake."

"Hey, that's what _I'm_ supposed to be telling _you_," he chuckled, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "But I would have worn battle armor if I knew the kind of reception you usually give your guests."

My cheeks felt like they were on fire as I stepped back into the house. "Want to come in?" I asked embarrassedly.

He shrugged, then stepped past me, into the house. As I moved to close and lock the door behind him, I thought I saw a sudden movement in the empty lot across the street. But when I looked again, there was nothing there. I tried my best to dismiss it, turning around to face Jacob.

"So…want a coke or something?" I asked awkwardly. For lack of anything better to do with it, I placed the knife onto the cluttered hallway table.

"No. Thanks, though," he answered, just as awkwardly. He rocked back on his heels and surveyed the entryway. "Uh, nice place." He gestured to a baby picture of me that hung on the faded wallpaper; Renée had sent it to Charlie years ago. "Cute smile."

I glared daggers at the noticeable gap in my baby self's smile, then gave Jacob as best a rendition as I could manage. Minus the hideous gap, of course. "Gee, thanks."

There were a few moments of silence as Jacob stared at the picture and I stared at him, wondering what the heck he wanted. "Is Charlie still at work?" he asked finally.

"Yeah, he usually has to work until it's almost dark. He must have poker tournaments with his deputies or something," I joked weakly. It wasn't like there was much crime in Forks anymore, but my father usually stayed out all day. A poker tournament was the only real reason I could think of for his absence. Either that or he didn't want to be in this depressing prison of a home for any longer than necessary.

"Bella," he said suddenly, so abruptly changing the subject that he almost gave me mental whiplash. "I just wanted to talk to you about–"

The phone chose that moment to ring, interrupting him. "Sorry," I said, though I actually wasn't. I didn't really want to talk about my explosive rant back at his house, not now or ever. Not that I would ever say so out loud.

I hurried into the kitchen and stood beside the phone, staring down at is as it rang. Jacob walked up behind me. "Aren't you going to answer it?" he asked, obviously confused.

"No," I whispered. There was only one person who would be calling, since Charlie never called during the day. Renée.

Sure enough, my mother's voice came from the answering machine after seven rings. "_Bella, Charlie. Phil and I have decided that it's time we come to Forks and check on the two of you. Bella, I'm extremely worried. I haven't heard from you in person for two months now, honey. So I'm booking a flight now, and I should be there in a few hours. I'll call you when the plane touches down, all right? Love you."_

I frantically lunged for the phone and dialed her home number. I swallowed hard and nearly choked when I heard my mom answer the phone. "Hi, Mom."

"_Oh my God, Bella! Honey, it's so great to hear from you for a chance!"_ She laughed nervously, not bringing up the fact that I hadn't answered the phone when she'd called moments earlier. _"What kind of social manners has your father been teaching you?"_

"Oh, you know Dad. He's a typical guy," I said, in as normal a voice as I could manage. I tried to ignore the heavy stare on my back, courtesy of Jacob.

"_Bella…how have things been? I was starting to get worried. You haven't talked to me in ages, sweetheart."_

"Things have been pretty busy. I've been making some new friends. Jacob, David, James." I closed my eyes as they started to burn with tears, trying to keep myself together.

"_All boys,"_ Renée said knowingly. _"I knew it would happen eventually."_

"What?" I asked quietly.

"_I knew the boys in Forks would start noticing my beautiful daughter soon enough. They'd be blind not to,"_ she said, making it obvious that my attempts at distracting her had worked perfectly. _"But what about that Edmund boy? You mentioned him a couple of times in your emails several months ago."_

"Edward," I corrected her automatically, then smiled a watery smile, even though she couldn't see me. "My…my first ex."

"_I'm sorry, honey,"_ she said sincerely. _"The first ex is always the worst."_

"Yeah."

"_So I guess you're calling to keep me from coming to Forks? I know I overreacted a little, but I was just so worried…"_

"Everything's fine, Mom," I lied. "I promise."

"_So what has your father been up to? Still as obsessed with sports as usual?"_

I recognized that she was gearing up for a long chat, and I couldn't afford to be on the phone more than a few minutes with her. It would only take the smallest slip of the tongue to ruin everything, and get both her and Phil killed. "Sorry, I've got to go. I've kind of got a friend over at the moment."

"_A _boy_ friend?"_ she asked suspiciously. _"Isabella, is your father home?"_

"Sure is. Watching football in the living room. I think his team is losing," I improvised, a single tear trickling down my cheek.

She laughed. _"Same old Charlie. Well…I guess I'll talk to you later, then. Love you, sweetheart."_

"Love you too, Mom. Bye." I slowly placed the phone back into its plastic cradle, ending the call. Then I sagged against the wall just behind me and closed my eyes again, biting down so hard on my lip that I tasted blood. I could feel a sob building deep inside me, but tried my best to keep it contained.

"Bella?" I opened my eyes and saw Jacob staring at me, brow furrowed with confusion.

"I can't let her come here," I croaked. "Not when she's safe where she is."

He impulsively reached for me, and I allowed him to wrap his arms around me in a comforting hug. I relaxed against him, closing my eyes and placing my chin on his shoulder. He was almost unnaturally warm, like he had a fever. Very different from the usual cold embraces I was used to. But not entirely unwelcome.

My eyes flew open, and I quickly untangled myself and pulled away. Hugging Jacob felt too much like betraying Edward, and that was something I didn't want to do. "I'm sorry," I bleated. "I just…can't."

He looked slightly confused, but nodded slowly. Several beats of silence passed as we stared at each other. "Bella, about what happened back at my place–"

"I don't want to talk about it," I said quickly, folding my arms like a shield of protection.

He raised his hands and made soothing motions. "It's okay, Bella, I understand. I can't say I'm not curious, but I'm not going to force you into talking about something you don't want to."

"Thanks," I whispered.

"I will say this, though," he went on. "If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'll be here for you. Okay?"

I nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Jake."

"Anytime. And, uh, you can start coming by after school and hanging out. That is, if you want to, I mean."

"I'll think about it."

"Okay. Uh, see you tomorrow?" He started towards the door, pausing to look back at me.

"Maybe," I granted. I let him out the door, then watched him jog to his truck. He climbed inside, waved at me, and roared off down the street.

I closed the door behind him and leaned heavily against it, taking a deep breath. Definitely not the best of days I'd ever had, between the David/Riley confrontation, the offer to join Unicorn, the fight with Jacob, and the phone call from Renée. And to top all that off, I could smell the meat on the stove burning.

Grumbling something unsavory under my breath, I pushed myself away from the door and hurried for the kitchen.

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So short, I know. Sorry! *ducks for cover*

**And try to check out a new story by my friend BlueEyes444. She hasn't gotten many reviews yet, and I would love it if you headed her way! :D It's called Shimmering Skies, and takes place after _Breaking Dawn_. Let's just say that it's going to be one awesome story, from what she's told me about it so far...**


	8. Cliff Diving

**Disclaimer: **I wish I owned many things. One of these things is _New Moon_. But I don't really think that's going to happen, do you? :P

**A/N: **Yay for hoot13, BlueEyes444, vampsrulewolvesdont, mixmatched9, superherofan95, bolota, and Edward-is-sexier-than-Mike! Thanks for reviewing, and enjoy the chapter!

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7. CLIFF-DIVING

I suffered through another day of school the next morning. It was Wednesday, so the week was half-over already. Halleluiah.

The day wasn't as bad as Tuesday had been, especially since Riley didn't randomly show up and slam my bruised body against the lockers again. But I saw no sign of the mysterious David, and received no notes inviting me to join an exclusive club of vampire hunters. I had never felt as alone as I did then.

After the final bell rang, I gathered my stuff and headed for the truck. I tossed everything inside, then hauled myself in and started the engine. Without even thinking about it, I backed out of the parking space and headed towards La Push. It was like some kind of instinctive reaction.

When I arrived at the Black house, I got from my truck without hesitating this time. Then I mounted the creaky wooden steps, knocked, and waited. Billy opened the door after a few seconds, a wrinkled magazine open on his lap. "Jake's at the shed," he said imperturbably.

"Okay, um, thanks," I said, not sure what to think of his blasé attitude. I offered him a quick wave. Jogging down the steps again, I headed for the shed at the side of the house. The loose board that served as a makeshift door was propped open today, as though inviting me inside.

Hesitant about the possibility of Jacob popping out to scare me again, I was about to call out. That's when I heard the voices, coming from inside the shadowy interior of the shed.

"I'm serious, Jake. We can't just sit around doing nothing for much longer," an unfamiliar voice insisted. "We can't keep living like this, under the thumb of those _bloodsuckers_."

My heart skipped a beat. Whoever was talking meant that Jacob should help him stop the vampires ruling over Forks. Was it someone from Unicorn? I edged closer to the door, trying to hear the voice more clearly.

"You think I don't know that, Quil?" Jacob's voice. "I know as much as you, as much as everyone else, what needs to be done. But there's too many of them, too many of those _monsters_. There's no possible way for us to stop them on our own. Not yet."

"He's right," a third voice agreed solemnly. "Why are you so dead-set on this insane battle plan of yours? You're starting to sound like Paul."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Paul's on the right track," the first unfamiliar voice admitted. "If we let this keep going, things are going to get out of control. I always thought the Cullens were bad, but this is _worse_. Who knows what they intend to do to all of us before this is over?"

I found myself unconsciously leaning closer, straining to make out their words. This is how I lost my balance and toppled over, into the shed.

"We don't really need to talk about this anym–_Bella_?"

I slowly looked up from the dirt floor, a mingled feeling of dread and mortification blossoming inside me. Jacob stood beside the motorcycles, gawking down at me. Beside him were two other Quileutes who looked vaguely familiar, sharing identical expressions of amazement. But they weren't what _really_ caught my attention.

"Jake…you cut your hair!" I exclaimed, not sure whether I should be pleased or horrified. His silky black locks were completely gone, leaving only a thick head of normal guy-length hair. He looked like a completely different person.

He stared at me for a few seconds, then his hand moved involuntarily to touch the visible evidence. "Uh, yeah. I just got it done this afternoon."

"Wow. It looks, um, wow." Feeling like a complete idiot, I scrambled to my feet. I brushed my hands against the tastefully-faded jeans I wore, smearing dirt across both legs.

"Bella, what are you even _doing_ here?" Jacob asked me, sounding absolutely bemused.

"You asked me to. Last night," I whispered, cheeks flaming. Great. I'd driven all the way out here, and he'd forgotten about inviting me. Not only had I been caught eavesdropping, but now I looked like some loser without any friends, forced to hang out with younger kids who didn't even go to my school.

"Last _night_?" One of the other two leered at Jake, who looked embarrassed.

"Shut up, Quil. It's not like _that_," he was quick to insist. "I just stopped by Bella's house to talk to her for a minute. Her dad was there."

I suppressed a smile at his obvious lie. "Hi, my name's Bella Swan." I offered an awkward wave.

"I'm Embry Call, and this is Quil Ateara," one of Jacob's friends introduced politely. If it wasn't for the fact that he was probably a year or two younger than me, I probably would have thought he was cute. And if I hadn't already met and fallen in love with Edward, that is.

"Jake's mentioned you a couple of times, but he never said you were so _hot_," Quil declared brazenly, flashing a wide grin.

"Um…thanks?"

Jacob looked irritated. "You've met her before, guys. Several months back, at the beach?"

"Ohhhhhhhhh, right." Quil nodded energetically. "I remember now. You scared her to death, Jake, and almost made her drown in the mud."

Embry chuckled.

So _that's_ why they looked so familiar. What a crappy first meeting, with me covered in brown muck and freshly saved from drowning in like three inches of mud. "Yeah, that's me. Hilarious Mud Girl," I said sarcastically, trying to draw their minds away from the mental image of me covered in slime that I was all-too sure they were seeing.

"_Any_way," Jacob interrupted, shooting Quil and Embry a pointed glare. "So why did you come by, Bella? I didn't think you were going to."

I shrugged uncomfortably. "I changed my mind. But I can just go, since you're busy…" I jerked one thumb towards the open door behind me, taking a step away from them.

"No _way_, Bella. I'm not lettin' you leave so soon," Quil said, flashing another charming grin. "Why don't you come with us to the cliffs? We were just about to head out."

"Cliffs?"

"No, Quil," Jake snapped in a dangerous tone of voice, only feeding my curiosity.

"What, your girlfriend's not invited to the _hottest thing ever_?" Quil demanded teasingly.

"He's not–" I began quickly, at the same time Jacob blurted out, "We're not dating!" We both stopped and looked at each other until I once again felt my face heating up and hurriedly averted my eyes.

"Don't let Mr. Grumpy stop you from coming," Embry said with a small smile. "Have you ever gone cliff-diving before?"

"Gone _what_?"

"I take that as a no."

"Seriously, Bella, you've _got_ to come," Quil urged me excitedly. "You don't know what you're missing."

"No way," Jacob ground out through gritted teeth.

I turned to him, folding my arms. "Why not?" I demanded, not exactly sure why I was so worked up about him openly refusing my company.

His dark eyes were smoldering, like hot coals. "It's dangerous. These two idiots wouldn't care if you got killed, but _I_ would. So you're not coming."

I almost choked on my anger. "What, I shouldn't come because I've never been in a dangerous situation in my whole life?" I demanded sarcastically, staring meaningfully at him. "_Hello_, I live in _Forks_. How much more dangerous can it get?"

"She's got a point," Embry agreed cheerfully.

"Oh, shut up," Jacob said. He glowered at me. "Bella–"

"You shouldn't have argued so much," I singsonged, enjoying his obvious annoyance. "Now I can't _wait_ to come with you guys."

Quil snickered and offered me a high-five. "Wow, Bella, you're the best."

I smiled at him, feeling an unexpected pang of pleasure at being praised by one of my peers. It had been a long time. "Thanks."

Jacob took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?" he asked flatly.

I shook my head.

Quil snickered again, and ducked to avoid a not-so-lighthearted punch from Jacob.

"Fine, let's get going," Jake muttered, brows knit deeply together above his eyes. "We'll take your truck, Bella."

"Okay, sure," I agreed quickly, not wanting to give him the slightest chance to refuse me once and for all.

Quil and Embry clambered outside, wasting no time. I didn't yet know what I'd gotten myself into, but it was evident that they were both enthused about it. I stuffed one hand in the pocket of my jeans and waited for Jacob, who shuffled slowly towards me. It was so weird seeing him minus most of his hair. I cleared my throat to cover the fact that my mind was frantically rushing to find something sensible to say.

"How much did you hear?"

The question was so unexpected that I nearly tripped. "Huh?"

"When you were listening. How much did you hear?" His expression was hard, and one that made my heart beat a little faster.

"Uh, I'm not sure what you mean, Jake," I fibbed. "I was walking up to the shed, tripped, and then saw you guys. Your dad told me you were out here."

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment further. I couldn't help feeling relieved that he didn't pursue the subject as we stepped out of the shed and back into the sunlight. It glinted off my truck, where Quil and Embry were already waiting.

Embry flipped a cell phone shut and slipped it into his pocket. "I called Sam and told him we had an extra guest coming along," he said, directly to Jacob. Jake nodded without saying anything.

I pulled out my keys and tossed them nervously into the air. "Ready?" I asked, feeling a twinge of anxiety. I still had no clue what I had gotten myself into, and that little fact was starting to get to me.

"Want me to drive?" Embry asked.

"Sure," I said without vacillation, since I didn't even know where we were headed. I handed the keys over, then climbed into the crusher. I ended up squashed between Embry and Jacob, while Quil rode in the back. As we barreled from the driveway, clouds of dust and gravel billowed out behind us. I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Quil perched in a manner I was sure was illegal on the side of the bed, barely hanging on. He looked oddly like a dog with its head out the car window.

We drove for about ten minutes, a silence that could have been awkward filled by the air rushing past outside and a rock station Embry switched the radio to. I was grateful that I didn't have to make conversation, concentrating on keeping my thighs from touching either Jacob or Embry. Both wore ragged shorts that barely reached their knees.

We pulled off the main highway and down a dirt road, bouncing through the trees. I shivered despite the warm temperature and fought to keep memories of the last time I'd been in the woods from surfacing. The last thing I wanted to think about was the deaths of Freema and the others; I would probably start crying.

Embry stopped the truck once we'd drove out of the woods, in a wide open space. I stared with awe, never having laid eyes on this particular piece of land. A few hundred yards from where the crusher was parked was the edge of the cliff, and beyond that the ocean. A chilly breeze that smelled like salt swept over me as we all climbed out. A small group of Quileutes were gathered at the very edge, which was where we made our way to.

"Guys, this is Bella," Quil said loudly, to be heard over the roar of the ocean far below. "Bella, meet Sam, Jared, Paul, Seth, and Leah."

I smiled politely and glanced at them each in turn, wondering how the heck I was supposed to remember all their names. I was surprised to see Leah, who was the only female – besides me, of course – present in the group. She was standing with her arms folded, short black hair blowing around her face in the breeze.

"You jumping?" Jared asked me.

I blinked at him, not sure if I'd heard right. "Jumping where?"

Paul snorted decisively. "Didn't you guys even tell her why we're here?"

"I thought she knew," Embry said, shrugging once.

"Palefaces. They're all the same," Leah muttered, thinning her nearly-black eyes at me.

Growing more embarrassed by the minute, I tried to force the coming blush to stay put. "So you guys are jumping? Off the cliff?"

"Yep, that's the plan. Cliff-diving's awesome," Quil proclaimed, giving me a thumbs-up.

"You should probably just watch this time," said the youngest kid. Seth, I thought his name was. "It's pretty intense."

"Sounds like it." I peered off the cliff to the raging ocean below. The mighty waves churned fiercely against the rocks, splashing high in the air. I couldn't imagine someone who wasn't suicidal wanting to jump down _there_, and had _no_ intentions of following their example.

"Yeah, just stand back there and _watch_," Leah sneered at me. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what I'd done to piss her off, since we'd only just met.

"Who's first?" the one I thought was named Sam asked. He looked like the oldest one there, besides maybe Leah.

"_That_ would be me," Jared declared loudly, wasting no time in stripping off his shirt. I stared with morbid fascination at the impressive ab muscles he revealed, until I saw Leah glaring at me and quickly focused my eyes elsewhere.

"Remember to watch out for the rocks," Seth warned, taking several steps away from the edge. The others were doing the same, so I vacated the cliff-top to make room.

"Yes, _Mommy_. I remember," Jared said, though his voice lacked all severity. He winked at me, causing the trillionth blush of the day to warm my cheeks, and got into a runner's stance. What seemed like an eternity passed, then he suddenly leapt into motion. He threw himself forward with surprising grace. His bare feet left the dirt, and he dangled high in the air for maybe two or three seconds. Then he fell like a rock, disappearing from view. A loud splash came from below.

"Oh my God! Is he going to be okay?" I raced over and peered down towards the waves. Jared's dark head was bobbing in the waves as he swam easily towards the shore, the mighty waves seeming to have almost no effect on him.

Quil laughed. "Sure, he'll be fine."

"Whoa, look out!" Seth shouted.

I looked up just in time to seem Leah barreling towards me. I frantically jumped out of the way, barely managing to keep my footing. I stared, mesmerized, as Leah dove into open air, seeming to float there like the lightest of birds. Then she fell, with a shrill battle cry.

Heart pounding, I looked to Jacob. He was already watching me. "See? Dangerous," he said calmly.

Paul bounded off the cliff, arms extended at his sides. He hung there for a beat, then dropped. I watched as he flipped completely over once before falling.

"Shut up, man. It's a _blast_!" Quil decreed, pumping a fist in the air.

"You're next, Seth," Sam said, nodding in the younger Quileute's direction.

Seth looked nervous until he seemed to remember the rest of us watching, then visibly straightened his shoulders. He took a few steps, checking to make sure no rocks were in his path, then ran forward. His movements were a bit clumsier than the others, so his arms were flailing frantically as he fell from the edge. I raced over and watched him sink into the waves, then make it back to the surface and start swimming for shore.

"Embry," Sam mentioned, indicating the waiting water.

I watched Jacob's friend follow the others off the cliff, whooping loudly as he fell, then felt an unforeseen surge of longing. The dive looked like the perfect release of tension, which was probably why the Quileutes did it. How would it feel to run as hard as you could, heart pounding against the inside of your chest, then feel the ground give way beneath your feet? I imagined that those few moments when you started to fall, slowly gaining more and more speed, would be exhilarating.

Sam got ready, then sprinted ahead. He jumped like a professional diver, arms extended in front of him. He didn't make a sound as he vanished from sight.

"I want to try," I said, surprising even myself.

Quil blinked, eyes suddenly huge. "Wow."

Jacob shook his head, and it was still strange not to see those glossy black locks hitting him in the face. "No way, Bella."

"I want to try a dive," I repeated, this time putting more force behind my words. "I've seen everyone else do it. Besides, it looks like fun."

"Charlie would _kill_ me if you got hurt," Jacob snapped.

"Well…he never has to know, does he?" I pointed out logically.

"No, Bella. I'm not letting you do it, and that's that." His eyes glinted with barely suppressed rage, and the sight was actually a little frightening.

"That's not fair, man," Quil said, tugging at Jacob's arm. "Are you gonna make her just _sit_ here all day and watch the rest of us have fun?"

He violently shook Quil away. "If that's what it takes to make her safe."

I ground my teeth together so hard that a sharp pain spiked through my jaw. Then an idea hit me. Swallowing hard and trying to calm the sudden racing of my heart, I casually glanced towards Quil. His eyes widened as he realized what I intended for him to do.

"Fine," I muttered, dropping my eyes from Quil's. I tried my best to look remorseful, even though I happened to know from experience that lying really wasn't my best ability. "I won't do it. Go ahead, and I'll…go sit on that rock over there." I gestured to a large boulder at random.

Jake folded his arms, looking thunderous. "Don't think I'm going to jump and leave you up here to come right after me, Bella," he growled. "I'm staying with you."

I nodded slowly, fighting the smile that tugged at my lips. "Okay."

Quil reached out and grabbed Jacob's arms, pinning them behind his back.

"What the hell are you _doing_?" Jacob roared.

I knew Quil probably couldn't hold Jake for long, being the smaller of the two, and hastily sprinted for the cliff. My feet slammed against the packed dirt. The pounding of my pulse tuned out Jacob's angry yelling, and I wouldn't have been surprised to find out that people in Forks could hear my heart racing so loudly.

I was almost there. I took a deep breath, staring straight ahead, and jumped.

My heart leapt to my throat, and my stomach lurched. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as I hovered there. I felt like an explorer who had discovered the edge of the world, hovering there in the sky. Then life snapped back to speed and I started to fall.

Jacob grabbed my arm.

I felt the world start to go sideways, and fought a rush of nausea. Five points of pain dug into my wrist. My body slammed into the side of the cliff, breath exploding from my lungs so hard that I coughed and choked. There I hung, like a fish on a hook, a good thirty feet above the raging ocean below. Jacob leaned over towards me, tightly gripping my wrist in one hand. His arm muscles bulged. His face was a mask of anger and strain.

"Let go of me!" I shrieked, voice lost in the wind and sound of the surf. I couldn't catch my breath. Rocks were painfully scraping every bit of exposed skin.

His perfect white teeth were exposed as he strained to pull me up with only one hand. I felt something in my shoulder pop, and tears of pain sprang to my eyes. My whole body was throbbing at the feeling of being suspended by one arm, high above the safety of the ground, and I was starting to get dizzy.

"Jake, let go!" Quil appeared at Jacob's side, looking panicked.

"Quil!" I screamed, painstakingly reaching with my other hand to try to jerk Jacob away from me. I pulled on his fingers as hard as he could, and pain showed through his rageful expression, but he didn't relinquish his grip.

"You're hurting her!"Quil yelled.

I stared into Jacob's eyes, still struggling to get my breath. I was going to die; that much was obvious. If Jake didn't unintentionally kill me, the weird angle of a fall from this height would. It was definitely a lose-lose situation for me.

I glanced down, head spinning, and saw the rest of the Quileutes staring back at us. Some were scattered across the beach and a few were still in the process of swimming to shore. I hoped they would get out of the way when I fell down to earth.

Quil had apparently tired of waiting and watching me surfer. He rammed into Jacob. My wrist slipped suddenly from his grasp. Quil shouted my name, trying to grab me in time, but it was too late. I fell.

The entire fall passed in a heartbeat. I fell faster and faster and faster, like a comet streaking across the night sky. Then I finally reached the water, and its icy depths engulfed me.

As I plunged under, water flooded into my eyes and throat and nose and ears. I choked and gasped as I accidentally inhaled water instead of the coveted oxygen, limbs flailing as I tried to get myself to the surface. Everything was completely turned around; I couldn't tell which way I needed to swim to get to the surface. Every direction looked the same: black and cold.

My arms and legs were numb and strangely heavy. The jeans and t-shirt that had seemed too light for the tangy chill in the air now felt heavier than my winter coat and sweats. I was drowning, and the next time Charlie saw me, I would be dead.

_He's going to have to plan my funeral,_ I realized with some horror. _He'll have to tell Renée that I died. And she'll have to come here, since Charlie can't leave Forks. _Something else occurred to me, like a bolt of lightning through my heart. _What if he doesn't even tell her that I'm dead? It's too dangerous for her to come here, and he won't want to put her through that. What if he just pretends that I'm _still alive_?_

I dimly noted a black shape in the murky water before me, and though I saw familiar golden eyes glimmering at me. _Edward,_ I thought suddenly, heart leaping with sudden joy, despite my predicament.

Then the shape came closer, and my hopes died a horrible death. Sam was before me, face a mask of grim determination as he held his breath, reaching out with both arms. He grabbed me, tucking him under one arm, and kicked in a direction I assumed was the surface.

_Maybe I'm going to live,_ I thought in awe. Unless I was imagining all this, like I had Edward moments earlier. There was really no way to tell.

My head exploded above the surface of the water. I gasped and choked, water spewing from my lips as my lungs automatically began clearing themselves. My throat burned, and it hurt to breathe, but I was undeniably _alive_. I pushed the dripping curtain of hair from my face with a shaking hand, looking to Sam. "I think I'm ready to go home now," I rasped.

**

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Reviews practically feed me, people. And you wouldn't want me to starve, would you? :P


	9. Surprise!

**Disclaimer: **Stephanie Meyer has the honor. *sniffles melodramatically*

**A/N: **Thanks to hoot13, vampsrulewolvesdont, maariee, mixmatched9, superherofan95, Edward-is-sexier-than-Mike, Jake4eva, bolota, BlueEyes444, and JamieLynn Black for reviewing. Without you guys, I probably would have given up hope on this story long ago. :)

* * *

8. SURPRISE!

Sam and Quil drove me home. Quil was noticeably quieter than he had been before the incident at the cliff. I got the feeling that he thought that my failed cliff-diving experience was his fault. But it wasn't. _I_ was the one who had gotten such a stupid idea in my head, plain and simple.

Though I couldn't understand what had come over Jacob. He'd been like a whole other person. After Sam had gotten me safely to the beach, he had vanished from the cliff top, not appearing even as Quil fetched my truck so I could be driven home. Where he'd gone, I had no idea.

It was almost dark as Sam parked the crusher at the curb. Charlie's cruiser was already parked in the driveway. Not good. He was likely in a bad mood now, since I hadn't been there when he got home. And since I had left my cell phone at home, he hadn't been able to get a hold of me.

My day just kept getting better and better.

I awkwardly climbed down from the passenger side, used to having a steering wheel to pull myself out of the cab. I stood on the sidewalk, huddled under the thin blanket one of the Quileutes had produced. My skin had dried on the trip home, but my clothes were still dripping, clinging uncomfortably to my skin. My hair hung in soaking strands around my face.

"Thanks for the ride," I said uncomfortably, as the pair of Quileutes also climbed out.

Sam nodded stoically. "No problem. I'm very sorry you had to go through all that."

I arched a brow at his weirdly formal wording, but didn't comment. "Are you guys sure you can get home okay? It's almost dark…" I said.

"We'll be fine," Sam said gravely. "Goodbye, Bella."

"Bye," Quil squeaked out.

I added my farewell, wondering why this felt like so much of a _final_ goodbye, and walked up to the porch. I unlocked the front door, cast one last look at the Quileutes standing beside the crusher, then walked inside and locked the door behind me.

"Bella?" came my dad's voice from the kitchen, as the door closed. There was a strange smell in the air.

"It's me," I confirmed, wondering irritably who else he thought it could be. A vampire, stopping in for a quick visit? I immediately felt guilty for such a thought, and busied myself with walking towards the kitchen.

Charlie looked around the corner just as I approached, and baulked at the sight of me. "What happened to you?" he demanded, obviously taking in the soggy state of my clothes and hair, and general drowned rat look.

"I…went swimming with some friends. It was kind of a spontaneous thing," I lied. I casually moved one wrist behind my back, effectively hiding the bruises caused by Jake's hand from sight.

"You went swimming in your _clothes_?"

Oh crap, he was suspicious. And since I wasn't the best of liars in the first place, he really was making things harder on me than he should have. I laughed, the sound fake even to my own ears. "Yeah, um, one of the guys pushed me in. Ha, ha."

This make Charlie look mildly furious. "One of the _guys_?"

"I meant _girls_. One of the _girls_," I fudged quickly. "I was just saying guys because, you know, people usually say 'hi, guys', even if there's a girl or two there, and I was just…um, you know what? Never mind."

He still looked suspicious, but not like he was about to tie me down to a leg of the couch or something. "Well…I just wanted to tell you that you need to get in sooner next time, Bella. It's not safe out there, as we both know. I've been trying to call you for an hour, and it went straight to voicemail every time."

I winced. Charlie had probably been pretty close to gathering his deputies and barreling out into the twilight in search of me. If something had happened to him, it would have been my fault. "Sorry, Dad. It won't happen again," I promised firmly. And it wouldn't. I didn't intend to hang out with Jacob Black again anytime soon, not after he'd almost killed me. He'd have to produce a _really_ good explanation for his blow-up.

He nodded, satisfied with my reply. "That's…good. That's really good. And I'm glad you're starting to make friends again, Bells."

"Thanks, Dad."

He shifted his weight to another foot, suddenly awkward. "I guess you should go up and get changed. You're dripping on the floor."

I looked down to the puddle at my feet. "Oh. Sorry."

"Supper should be ready in about ten minutes. I'm making Hamburger Helper."

My eyes widened involuntarily. So _that_ was the disgusting burning smell… I plastered a fake grin onto my face. "Okay, sounds great. I'm just going to go change." I hurried up the stairs to my bedroom before he could interrogate me any longer, closing the door and flipping the light switch into an upright position.

Without looking around at the mess I knew to be scattered across my room, I tossed the wet blanket towards my bed and rushed over to the dresser. Fumbling through one of the drawers, I jerked off my shirt and grabbed a dry one at random.

Someone cleared their throat behind me.

I barely kept myself from screaming, whirling around and clutching the shirt to my chest. Both eyes nearly fell right out of my head as I took in the two slim figures standing beside my computer, one petite and dark-haired and the other thin and blonde. "Oh my God!" I gasped out, despite my best efforts to stay silent.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "I told you this was a bad idea. Humans are too simple-minded, even _this_ one," she said maliciously.

"Hi, Bella," Alice cooed, offering me a polite little wave. "How have you been?"

"Oh my God. Are you both really…oh my God." I wisely clamped my lips shut before I could repeat myself a few hundred more times, turning my attention to pulling the shirt I'd selected over my head. Once it was safely in place, I looked to the pair of Cullens with wide eyes. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked, proud of myself for managing to spew a sensible sentence.

"Edward wanted us to check up on you," Alice replied in a chipper voice, sinking down onto my bed and neatly crossing her legs. Rosalie remained standing.

"Edward…?" I breathed, slowly sitting down at the foot of the bed. It felt amazingly good to be off my feet; I hadn't realized just how tired I really was until right at that moment.

"He's still fawning over you, even after three months," Rosalie said, exaggeratedly rolling her golden eyes. "Carlisle wouldn't let him come _visit_ you, so he sent us instead. We're supposed to be _undercover_."

"Where have you guys been all this time?" I blurted, heart pounding at the thought of Edward missing me, even after two months of not seeing me. It was incredibly romantic.

"Seattle," Alice said matter-of-factly. "It's rainy enough that we can be out in the sunlight without risking a human discovering our true nature, and there are plenty of people. No chance of the Volturi finding where we are. We've even gotten jobs in the human world, to blend in a little. I finally get to be a college student again!"

I nodded slowly. "Good. I'm…glad you guys are doing okay," I said woodenly. It was hard to be happy to hear that they were fitting in with their new lives, when they were all so far away from Forks. Was Edward going to college, too? What if some girl caught his eye, and they started going out? What if she eventually replaced _me_?

"Now, we're supposed to be gathering intelligence as to how _you've_ been doing," Alice declared, folding both hands demurely over her lap. "The first question I have for you is why on _Earth_ are you so wet?"

"Um, I went swimming with some…friends," I answered carefully, unwilling to explain the real reason for my sopping-wet state. Hopefully neither of them would notice the bruises from Jacob's hand on my wrist.

"Interesting. In the vision I experienced earlier this morning, you leapt off the top of a cliff and tried to _drown_ yourself," Alice mused.

"I wasn't drowning myself. I was _cliff-diving_," I said. "It's a…good release of tension."

Neither vampire looked particularly convinced with this statement.

"Bella?" Charlie knocked against the outside of my door, and I jumped.

"Just a second, I'm getting dressed," I said, hoping my voice didn't convey that I was hiding something.

"Oh. I thought I heard voices."

"You probably, um, did. I hit my head on the dresser. And believe me, Dad, you _don't_ want a repeat of the monologue I just had with myself."

Alice snickered softly, covering her mouth with one manicured hand.

"Right. Uh…supper's almost ready," he said. The three of us listened as he shuffled away down the hall.

"I hate to sound rude, Bella, but what is that god-awful _smell_?" Alice asked, as soon as the sound of Charlie's steps had faded, wrinkling her nose.

"What smell?"

"Like wet _dog_ or something." Alice glanced warily around the room, like she suspected I had a soaking wet puppy stuffed under the bed or something.

"Probably her," Rosalie commented sourly. "And can't we leave now? She's doing just fine, and Edward can be _well assured_ of her safety." She stepped impatiently towards the window.

"Wait!" I said, before they could both disappear again. "Are you guys…" I trailed off, not sure how to word my question without sounding like I was whining.

"What is it?" Alice asked.

"Are you guys trying to figure out a way to, well, _save_ us?" I blurted, before I could change my mind. "I know that sounds selfish and everything, but I just really thought I could count on you guys–"

"Bella." Alice gently touched my shoulder, and the gesture made my heart sink. "We really _do_ want to rescue Forks from its fate, but there's nothing we can do. The Volturi are too strong, and going up against them would be suicide for the seven of us, including you and your father and the rest of the town. I'm afraid it's _impossible_."

I blinked rapidly, trying to keep my eyes free of any incriminating tears. "Oh. I just…okay."

"I really am very sorry. Maybe if things get too bad, we can safely pull you and your father from town, set you up with new identities elsewhere," she said.

"But…we wouldn't remember anything about Forks if you did that," I realized, eyes widening. "That memory-dampening field…thing around the town would give us blank holes in our memory for all the time we've lived here!" The thought horrified me. I would lose months of my life, while Charlie would probably lose _all_ of his. He'd lived in Forks for almost his entire life.

She nodded grimly. "Which is why we won't do that unless we are absolutely _forced_ to," she said. "But if it comes down to that, Edward would rather you live without remembering him than die in the clutches of James and the Volturi."

I thought of how Edward and I had met, him seemingly hating me, and our first kiss. The chemistry that sizzled tantalizingly between us. "I would rather _die_ than forget Edward," I said doggedly.

"You don't mean that, Bella," Alice said. "Human life is so fleeting as it is, without a premature death to tear it apart. You wouldn't die for someone you barely even know."

"Yes I would, for Edward."

She patted my shoulder again, then stood, delicately brushing her hands against the dark-colored leggings she wore. "You don't have to waste time worrying about that scenario. It won't happen unless things are desperate," she assured me. "I'll be keeping an eye on you through my visions, so don't worry. You won't be alone." She started for the window, obviously preparing to leave. Rosalie seemed happy that the time had come to leave me behind.

"Alice?"

She paused, turning partially to face me. "Yes?"

"Do you know a vampire named David? He's been hanging around lately, and he's…really different from the other vampires."

"David? No, doesn't ring any bells…what do you mean by different?"

"He's _really_ nice to me, which is weird, and the other day when Riley tried to–"

"Alice!" Rosalie hissed suddenly. She suddenly dropped to the carpet, halting the process of moving the board propped in front of my bedroom window.

"What is it?" I asked, leaping to my feet.

Rosalie jerked her head towards the window. "Vampires, outside. I smelled them."

"Crap," Alice swore. "Bella, they _can't_ find us here. It'll mean killing us _and_ your family."

My legs were trembling as I stared at the pair of them. "How many were there?"

"I don't know," Rosalie said. "But we can't leave with the chance of being seen. We could lead them right back to the others."

Heart pounding fiercely against the inside of my ribs, I swallowed hard. I couldn't risk James' cronies discovering where Edward was. If he died, a piece of me would, too. "Okay," I said quickly. "I'll go outside and distract them, then you guys slip out and head back."

"Bella, it's too dangerous!" Alice exclaimed in a stage whisper.

"Like you said, it's much more dangerous for you guys to be found hiding in my bedroom," I said. "Just wait until they follow me around back, then make a break for it. Okay?"

Rosalie nodded the affirmative.

Alice sighed heavily. "Thank you. And I can see why Edward is so infatuated with you. You're a remarkable human."

I didn't have time to savor the compliment. I looked at them one last time, my only link to Edward, then opened my door and rushed from the room. Careful to avoid steps I knew to be creaky, I jogged down the staircase and towards the back door. As I passed the kitchen, I saw Charlie setting a pair of steaming plates on the table.

Once I'd reached the back door, I soundlessly opened the various bolts and locks. I paused with my hand on the knob, taking a deep breath. Then, before I could chicken out, I opened the door and rushed out into the night.

The backyard wasn't a place I ventured very often. It was overgrown with weeds and vines that climbed the walls, and the rundown little shed sagged under the weight of many years' time. Tonight, the partially fenced-in yard was dark, only light that from the bloated moon in the starless sky above.

I walked towards the shed, making no attempt to mask my presence. I made it across the expanse of the yard, and opened the door. It creaked loudly. Stepping into the doorway, I rummaged around through the rusty tools and other junk for a couple of minutes, all the while watching for snakes or scorpions.

Once I was sure an appropriate amount of time had passed, long enough for Alice and Rosalie to escape unnoticed, I backed from the shed and pushed the door closed. Turning to go back inside, I saw the three dark shadows standing silently beside the back fence.

My heart started pounding crazily as I stared at them. My mouth was suddenly very dry, making it impossible for me to say anything. I couldn't even plead for my life. So I didn't move, staring at the shadows while they stared back at me.

What felt like an eternity passed, though it was probably under a minute. Feeling the slightest bit braver, I edged towards the house, never once taking my gaze from the vampires. I could see the light from the kitchen as I got closer to the back door. Maybe I was actually going to make it…

One of the vampires hissed, taking a step forward.

I swallowed my scream and ran for the door. Reaching the concrete steps in seconds, I bolted up them and reached for the doorknob. My legs flew out from under me as I tripped over a flowerpot, and I fell hard on one knee. Pain exploded, which I ignored, flying back to my feet and throwing the door open. I raced inside and slammed the door behind me. The three vampires were closed out in the darkness, where they would hopefully stay, as I frantically did up all the locks once more.

"Bella?" Charlie called, sounding alarmed.

I limped as fast as I could for the stairs, which I reached just as my father burst from the kitchen, a carving knife in one hand and dirty spatula in the other.

"Sorry," I said weakly. "I fell down the stairs."

"You're bleeding!" he cried, looking horrified.

I glanced down at my leg, and was almost surprised to see a rush of crimson blood streaming from the gash in my knee. "Oh." Then my leg gave out on me, and I collapsed to the carpet.

Charlie actually dropped the cooking utensils, and raced over to me. He helped me back to my feet, supporting my weight with one arm. "Let's get you upstairs again," he said. "After your leg is bandaged, I'll bring you some supper."

I nodded gratefully, immensely relieved that he seemed to buy the phony yarn of my bloody leg. "Thanks, Dad."

He helped me limp up to the bathroom, where he carefully bandaged my leg. It was starting to throb in pain, so I downed two aspirin. Then he hurried off to fetch my dinner, while I went to my room. Alice and Rosalie were gone, the board propped in place against my window.

I sighed with relief, and sat down on the bed.

* * *

When I woke the next morning to the sound of my cell phone ringing, I rolled over to look at my alarm clock. It was just after ten o'clock. Charlie had decided that I wouldn't go back to school until Monday, since by the time I'd been finished eating my dinner, I could barely put any weight on the injured leg. I certainly hadn't protested, especially since my arm was also aching mightily by then.

Blearily rubbing my eyes, I forced myself to sit up. I fumbled around on the nightstand beside my bed until my hand located the flimsy piece of plastic, then I squinted at the display screen. I didn't recognize the number. Yawning, I pressed send. "Hello?" I asked cautiously.

"_Um, hi, Bella. It's Jake."_

My eyes widened, and I very nearly hung up on him. "How did you get this number?" I demanded.

"_Charlie gave it to me earlier this morning, when I called the house. He, uh, said you were home sick."_

"Oh." And Charlie was going to get a stern talking-to when he got home from work, if I had anything to say about it.

"_I just wanted to…apologize for yesterday. You know," _he said into my ear.

I remembered the look of rage on his face as he held me high above the roaring ocean, then the feeling of my body hitting the water, breath sucked from my lungs. I rubbed my wrist. "Oh, for trying to kill me?"

"_Yeah…"_

"You've been apologizing a lot lately."

"_I know, and I'm sorry. I've just got a lot going on right now. And when I saw you jumping off the cliff…well, I was afraid you were going to get hurt." _He hesitated._ "My sister, Rachel, got hurt once while cliff-diving. I was there. Even though she'd done it a ton of times, I guess she fell awkwardly that time. She broke her leg, and almost drowned."_

"I'm sorry," I said, because it was the right thing to say. He sounded sincere enough in his apology, even providing a plausible reason as to why he'd tried so desperately to stop me, so I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see me. I cleared my throat and waited a few seconds before answering, trying to make him sweat a little. "Okay, sure. I'll forgive you. But _only_ on a trial basis. You've got to make it up to me somehow." I couldn't believe I was talking like that to him, which was really unlike me. I just felt like teasing him. Evidently, the news that the Cullens were doing okay, and that Edward was still 'infatuated' with me had raised my spirits considerably.

"_Really?" _He sounded very relieved, I noted.

"Yeah. And it had better be good." I plumped up my pillows and leaned against them, still holding the phone to my ear.

"_How about coming to a party at La Push on Saturday? No cliff-diving involved, I promise. And it'll be in the morning, and over _way_ before twilight."_

I thought for a moment about my leg, and whether I could convince Charlie or not. "I'll have to ask my dad. I'll wait until tomorrow night, so he'll think my leg is miraculously healed."

"_Your leg? I, uh, thought it was your, uh, wrist,"_ he stuttered, sounding embarrassed. _"What happened?"_

"Long story. But I'll try to be there. I'll call you when I find out." I carefully shifted my leg to a different position. "And…thanks for inviting me." It meant a lot to actually be invited to a party, for the first time in months. Everyone my age in Forks was avoiding me like the plague.

"_No problem. Thanks for forgiving me."_

Embarrassed at how relieved he sounded, I cleared my throat. "Okay, talk to you later, I guess. Bye." I quickly hung up, then put the phone back on my nightstand. I rubbed my eyes, debating whether or not I should try to get to the bathroom or go back to sleep, when the doorbell rang.

I jumped, eyes wide. Charlie was still at the station, and I doubted it was a friendly neighborhood UPS delivery guy. So who the hell was waiting at the front door?

I clambered from bed and out into the hallway, then limped quickly down the stairs. I paused to pick up the knife Charlie had dropped last night and apparently not picked up, clumsily slipping it into the waistband of the boxers I usually wore to bed, then warily opened the door.

"Hi, Bella. I hope I'm not disturbing you," David said pleasantly.

I blinked stupidly at him instead of answering.

"I came to check in. Standard procedure when a student doesn't show up on time on a school morning," he said.

"My dad was supposed to call in and say that I was sick," I said.

"Again, standard procedure. Sorry, but I didn't write the rules. I just obey them." He looked me up and down, gaze landing on my bandaged leg. "Did you have an accident?"

I awkwardly shifted my weight to another foot, unsure what to think of his bizarrely polite behavior. "Yeah, I fell down the stairs last night."

"And your wrist?"

I quickly put the offending appendage behind my back. "Stairs," I said, even though if he looked closer at the obvious finger marks against my skin, the lie would be obvious.

He nodded without questioning me further. "When do you expect to be back?"

"Monday, probably."

"Okay, good. I'll inform Gianna, for the records." He turned to go.

"David?" I said quickly, before he could leave. "Why are you so…different? You're really _not_ like the other vampires."

He looked at me with a little half-smile. "No, I'm not. But don't tell anyone; it might ruin my reputation."

I smiled wryly at the joke, and started to close the door, sensing that I wouldn't get the answers I was looking for about his gentlemanly manners. At least, not today.

"Bella, there _is_ one last thing."

"Yeah?" I asked warily, keeping the door half-closed.

"This is off-the-record, of course…but try not to spend so much time with the Quileutes down at La Push. They're dangerous," he said.

My lips parted in shock, but I didn't bother asking how he knew about my recent visits to Jacob. "Dangerous how?" I asked, thinking of the party I had just about agreed to go to on Saturday.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you. Just…be careful, okay?"

"Um, sure. Okay."

"Good. Thanks for your cooperation, and I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Yeah. Um, bye."

And then he was gone.

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Thanks for reading!


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